


Give It A Shot

by six1224



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: But not in a particularly creepy or shady way, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, Paparazzi AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2019-10-17 16:47:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 26,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17564267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/six1224/pseuds/six1224
Summary: The weekly slog of Kihyun's paparazzi life is interrupted by a surprisingly sweet new idol with a big smile and arms to match.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, dippin my toes into kpop fandom I guess? brat_cat is, as usual, a wonderful, long-suffering beta whose only rewards are my undying appreciation and Tony Moly lip tints. 
> 
> I've got at least the next couple chapters planned out, so I'm hoping to make this long-form and (somewhat) regularly updated! It's been a while since I wrote something fluffy, and I can't guarantee that this will *stay* fluffy...enjoy some awkward flirty boys for now!

It wasn't the best job, but it sure as hell beat babies and weddings, so Kihyun stuck with it. Or at least that's what he told himself when he was camped out on a cold street corner for three hours outside a dance studio, patiently waiting for Wonho to leave. His Nikon hung heavy around his neck, and he stretched his shoulders a little to relieve the pressure. A few other guys loitered with him, technically competitors, but generally the industry was fairly amiable unless you were one of those assholes who snuck into dorms or bribed folks into releasing nudes.

Leaning on a telephone pole, he scrolled through his messages to pass the time, but most of his friends had better things to be doing on a Friday night than standing on cold street corners waiting for celebrities. He swiped over to twitter and clicked on Wonho’s username, scrolling down for a while mostly out of curiosity. It had about what he thought he would find, cute selfies with collaborators, sleepy-faced morning looks, plush gifts from fans, and ubiquitous food photos. With a bit of a start, he scrolled quickly past a photo of the singer's muscular back. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the photo, but rather he should probably avoid looking at it around other photographers. Ogling the stars wasn't exactly part of their job description, after all. A little notification popped up and he scrolled to the top to see a new selfie from Wonho, hair mussed and face glistening with sweat.

"Choreographer put me through my paces today~♥" said the caption. Kihyun had to admit, he was good looking, even when he was disheveled. Kind of a middling idol, his first album did pretty decently last year, and after a few collaborations his star was beginning to rise. The past few weeks had been a blur of following him to interviews, meetings, and rehearsals for his comeback.

Following the string of replies and comments, Kihyun couldn't help but smile a little. While Wonho was talented, a good singer and dancer, and had a great body too...what he was most well known for was something else entirely. Scrolling down, Kihyun could see comment after comment liked and replied to with cute heart and bunny emojis. 

Wonho was infamous for being a softie. Friendly and magnanimous to literally everyone he worked with, he was often requested over other idols simply because presenters or photographers just liked hanging out with him. He was overly kind to his fans, he never second-guessed stopping to sign an autograph or take a selfie. As such, he had a strong fan base that was easily added to whenever someone saw him in an interview or heard stories about his friendliness from other fans.

Kihyun thought he was a little crazy. Being so approachable was pretty unheard of in the industry, and eventually he knew a stalker or a crazy fan was going to cause him problems. But he had to admit, it did make his job a lot easier when he'd smile and wave every time he saw a photographer on the street.

Which is why it surprised him to see the idol dart out of the rehearsal studio building. He strode quickly down the block, baseball cap pulled low and purposefully ignoring everyone he passed as he made a beeline right into the coffee shop a few doors down. Kihyun barely looked up from his phone in time to see the door close behind him.

"Did you guys catch him?" he asked, shoving his phone in his pocket in frustration. One of the photographers shook his head and shrugged, and the other showed him a blurry shot of the singer's broad-shouldered back on the viewscreen of his camera. 

"Well, fuck," he sighed, and resigned himself to another thirty minutes of waiting around outside in the cold.

It wasn't unheard of to wait hours and hours on a idol, and Kihyun had to admit that, of all his options of stars to follow, he had purposefully chosen Wonho for today. His supervisor had offered him a few different leads, and Wonho was easy to photograph due to his friendly nature. Not to mention, it helped that he was pretty easy on the eyes. That smile he always beamed in the direction of photographers was about as sunshiney as a man can get, and while Kihyun was bashful about his weakness for muscles, those arms of his were something else. That mirror shot of Wonho's back after training that he'd seen on twitter earlier swam to the top of his thoughts, and suddenly he was imagining what it would be like to trace each of those muscles all the way down.

His mind was still wandering when Wonho walked out ten minutes later with a drink tray full of coffee cups. With a start, Kihyun grabbed his camera, snapping out of his hormone-fueled reverie to actually make some money today. He managed to catch a few shots of his exuberant smile before he realized that he was bounding across the street...straight towards them. Kihyun looked at the other photographers hastily, who all looked just as shocked as him.

"Hey!" Wonho said, beaming, "I'm Wonho!" For a moment Kihyun's thoughts were a blur, trying to figure out why on earth he thought they wouldn't recognize him, before he realized that he was just trying to be polite.

"Yoo Kihyun," he responded with a little bow, feeling thoroughly ridiculous introducing himself to an idol like this. Wonho responded with a bow, nearly spilling the drinks he had in his hand and then awkwardly straightening up with a bit of a chuckle. 

"It's so cold outside!" Wonho chirped and handed Kihyun a cup. "I wanted to make sure you guys were staying warm too!" 

Taking the offered drink, Kihyun could feel his ears burn. What the hell was going on? What kind of celebrity did this kind of thing for people who got paid to take sneaky photos of them? Wonho proceeded to hand the other two photographers coffee before taking the last for himself.

"They're just americanos, and I put some cream and sugar in them, so I hope that's okay!" he said before taking a big swig of his own drink.

"T-thanks?" Kihyun said, sounding just as stunned and confused as he felt.

"No problem, have a good night!" Wonho responded with a smile before wandering back across the street with a wave. He was soon whisked out of sight by his assistant, and after a shrug the other two photographers left. Kihyun was left by himself on the street corner, clutching a coffee from the handsome idol and feeling thoroughly confused, but indeed a bit warmer.

Later when he got home, he sorted through the photos, still sipping at the americano. Not a ton of shots, but the ones he got were some of the best he'd ever taken. Close-ups of Wonho's grin over the tray of coffee cups, looking so pleased with himself and his clever idea, would do well for Kihyun's assignment. And though he might be a little embarrassed to admit it, he found he couldn't help but smile in return as he flipped through the photos of the idol's smiling face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously cannot thank you guys enough for all the comments and kudos ;o; contributing to a new fandom is pretty nerve-wracking and it's been really motivating to hear you like my writing! I've been pretty productive and I've got quite a few ideas, so I'm hoping to update this every week on Sundays. 
> 
> Also, as always, eternally grateful to brat_cat, my gracious beta. Whom I fund with nothing but the joy of getting to read chapters extra early and sending her as many spicy photos of I.M as I possibly can.

Living with two roommates was, on the best days, good company, and on the worst days, a motive for murder. This morning, Kihyun had decided it was the latter after having to almost completely empty the fridge to clean whatever mysterious substance a roommate had spilled on one of the shelves. He was half tempted to rouse his roommates and figure out who the mysterious mess-maker was, but as usual he was the first awake and couldn't be bothered to wake everyone up.

 

While he scrubbed, he thought about the night before and taste of the sweetened coffee. He usually took it black, but something about the little splash of sugar and cream made his memory of that strange interaction that much sweeter.

 

Just out of curiosity, he had checked Wonho's twitter and instagram last night. He had the sneaking suspicion that maybe it was just a little publicity stunt. Take some selfies with some coffee for photographers and look like a saint, right? But there was nothing, not even a text post mentioning them. Just a cute before-bed selfie looking freshly showered and wrapped in a robe. Kihyun tried desperately not to think too hard about that robe.

 

Before he even had much of a chance to linger on the thought, Minhyuk sauntered into the kitchen and started rummaging loudly through the pantry.

 

"Morning!" he said, stifling a yawn and yanking out a box of cereal.

 

"Hey," Kihyun responded curtly, still scrubbing at the stain.

 

"Ahh, the Changkyun mystery stain," Minhyuk said sagely, reaching around his hardworking roommate to grab the milk. 

 

"This was his fault, huh?" Kihyun asked with a scowl, pleased to know the focus of his ire.

 

"Mmhmm!" Minhyuk said, sloppily pouring milk into his bowl before leaving both the carton and the cereal box on the counter and sauntering off towards the living room. Kihyun stood up and wiped the counter behind him, grabbing the breakfast components and putting them away.

 

"Somehow I doubt that, Minhyuk!" He yelled after him.

 

With a sigh, he finished cleaning up the fridge and reloaded its contents. When he was finally done, Changkyun wandered in, eyes still bleary. 

 

"Worked last night?" Kihyun asked, pointing over to the full coffee pot. Changkyun wandered gratefully over to it and poured himself a cup.

 

"Yeahhh...two for one margaritas all night," he said, shuddering and taking a big swig of coffee.

 

"Oof, I thought I had it bad standing outside in the freezing weather..." Kihyun responded, popping some bread in the toaster.

 

"You cleaned the Min-Min mess?" Changkyun asked, nodding towards the fridge.

 

"I KNEW IT!" Kihyun shouted, knowing full well Minhyuk could hear him from the other room. 

 

"I'll clean it up next time! I promise!" Minhyuk chirped, and Kihyun didn't believe it for a second.

 

With a sigh, he poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip.

 

"Who were you stalking yesterday?" Changkyun asked with a smirk and quickly stole one of his slices of toast as it popped out of the toaster.

 

Kihyun shot him a look but answered anyway, "Wonho, that buff idol with the blond and blue hair?" He was trying his best to sound nonchalant about it, but he could already see Changkyun's eyebrows raising.

 

"Ah, the one that posts those sexy gym selfies?" he asked, grabbing jam from the fridge before Kihyun could even get to it.

 

"Yeah..." Kihyun said cautiously, drinking more coffee to give himself something to do while he waited.

 

"How was that?" Changkyun asked, his tone a little too suggestive.

 

"Fine. He bought us coffee, which was weird. Other than that, it was just cold as hell," Kihyun said curtly, snatching the jam when his roommate offered it to him. Changkyun's eyebrows had ascended far enough to disappear under his bangs.

 

"Who bought you coffee?" Minhyuk asked, braving the kitchen to at least put his dirty bowl in the sink. 

 

"A hot jock idol," said Changkyun. Kihyun could feel his face flush. 

 

"It's not like that-" he tried to interject, but it was way too late.

 

"Oooh, what's his name?" Minhyuk asked, whipping out his phone. With a couple of taps, he had found Wonho's instagram and was scrolling through the photos with eyes growing wide.

 

"Daaamn, Kihyunnie!" he gasped, and Kihyun felt himself blush even deeper.

 

"He just brought like...all of the photographers coffee, there were three of us out there..." he rambled, regretting bringing up anything at all.

 

"Did he get your name?" Changkyun asked pointedly, leaning over Minhyuk's shoulder to look at the photos.

 

"Y-yeah..." he said sheepishly, staring down at the toast he suddenly felt too nervous to eat.

 

"Oooh that's a good sign," Minhyuk said, showing Changkyun a particularly cute selfie. "You should give him your number!"

 

"That- That's like entirely against company policy, much less like...regular propriety!" he yelped.

 

"I mean, he's right, hyung, not everybody wants to bang every single dad that comes through their daycare," Changkyun said with a laugh.

 

"THAT WAS ONE TIME! Besides, this is different. _ He  _ came on to  _ you _ ," Minhyuk clarified.

 

Kihyun shrugged and chomped into his toast in defiance. "He wasn't flirting with me, it was just a nice gesture. Besides, he's that friendly with everyone." He strode past the two of them into the living room.

 

Plopping down at the desk, he could feel their eyes still on him.

 

"You gonna go look and see if he's one of the assignments for the day?" Changkyun called, and Kihyun could feel the blush spread down his neck.

 

"This toast doesn't pay for itself!" he snapped as he went to check his options for weekend work.

 

As he scrolled through the various assignment listings on their company website, he tried his very darndest to ignore the fact that Changkyun and Minhyuk had decided to talk very quietly about Wonho while intently watching him. 

 

Nothing particularly caught his eye until he scrolled past the subject of their conversation. He was doing a fan signing, and it was pretty local too but, it was already taken by another photographer. Jooheon. 

 

Kihyun and Jooheon had worked together for years, occasionally at the same function or event if the company needed more than one photographer, and he saw him at monthly meetings and every now and then at the office if he had to go in for some reason. They were acquaintances at best, but Jooheon would probably call them friendly rivals with one of those deceptively sunny, dimple-filled smiles of his. Really though, it wasn't like he felt particularly competitive about work, and in general they were pretty friendly with each other. But seeing Jooheon's name listed next to Wonho's wasn't exactly encouraging.

 

Kihyun heaved a sigh, slumping his shoulders a little before jumping nearly a foot at an unexpected hand on his shoulder. Minhyuk had somehow snuck up on him and was patting him sympathetically.

 

"Jooheon got to him first for today, huh?" he said commiseratingly, and Changkyun groaned from the kitchen.

 

"Is nothing sacred in this house!?" Kihyun griped, glaring at Minhyuk. In response, both his roommates shook their heads and looked at him like he really should have expected this. 

 

With another sigh he went back to scrolling and selected a quick afternoon gig getting a few shots of an actress coming home from overseas. Airport shoots were always easy, and something simple to keep his mind off of whatever ridiculous thing his roommates thought was happening was much needed.

 

"I was looking for an airport gig today anyway, way easier than dealing with crowds outside a fan meet event," he said as smoothly as he could manage. 

 

When he left, Changkyun and Minhyuk were settled in the living room, watching Wonho's latest MV on loop. It was a damn good thing he was getting out of the house.

 

Traffic was non-existent, finding a decent spot to watch for his subject was easy,  getting some nice shots of her went smoothly, especially when she pulled down her facemask to smile at a fan, and the drive home was remarkably quiet. Everything was easy, or it should have been. But the whole time Kihyun was thinking about Wonho. Wonho's smile at him, his goofy introduction, how sweet that coffee tasted, how overly encouraging his roommates had been about the situation, and the little stab of jealousy he felt when he saw that Wonho's assignment had been taken for the day.

 

As he walked up the steps to their apartment, his still-wandering mind was cut off by a chirp from his phone. He fumbled for a minute when he realized it was Jooheon. Kihyun knew he had his number, they'd texted back and forth about work gossip or picking up assignments before, but it felt almost unnerving to see his text with the other man so fresh in his mind.

 

_ Jooheon: Hey man, do u know Wonho?????  _

 

He has to read the message twice before answering it.

 

_ Kihyun: Uhh...no, why?  _ He typed back. It was true, really. They'd said hello the day before and that was really it. It wasn't like he was close personal friends or some--

 

Another text cut off his train of thought.

 

_ Jooheon: He like...asked about u??? He said hey to us and let us get some pics or whatever and then he asked if we knew u? He literally asked if we worked with Yoo Kihyun, dude. He wanted to know if u were sick cause you were out in the cold??? What even????? _

 

Kihyun very nearly dropped his phone. His brain tried to figure out what was happening, but he couldn't manage to get much of a grip on anything. 

 

Wonho remembered his name? He asked after him? What the hell was going on?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly can't tell you guys how motivating and lovely it's been to see your comments and kudos ;____; I've never been in very active fandoms, and often my ships are rarepair trash so...thanks so much for the support!
> 
> As always, brat_cat is my long-suffering, much appreciated beta, for whom I added as much cute sassy Changkyun as I could manage ♥

It was all Kihyun could do to desperately scramble through the door so his neighbors wouldn't think he was crazy, standing out in the hall screaming internally and blushing like crazy. Unluckily for him, Changkyun was walking by the entryway right when he slammed the door and collapsed against it.

 

"You okay, man?" Changkyun asked, leaning over him. He was half-naked and looked fresh from the shower, his hair dripping a little onto Kihyun's sweater. On any other day he would have yelled at him for tracking water around the apartment, but his brain wasn't working quite right at the moment.

 

"Fine, just-totally-absolutely...fine," he rambled, un-slumping himself and shucking off the comfy high top sneakers he wore for work.

 

"Uh huh," Changkyun responded with a smile, giving him room to stand up and move past the younger man.

 

Kihyun stumbled to his feet, grabbing his camera bag in the process, and stomped off to his room.

 

He collapsed on the bed and laid there for a solid three minutes, face buried in a pillow and  screaming as softly as he could manage. After taking an extra minute to catch his breath, he heaved a huge sigh and rolled over. Hearing a knock at the door, he threw his blanket over his beet-red face.

 

Minhyuk poked his head in the room before Kihyun even had a chance to respond positively or otherwise, not that the lack of permission had ever stopped him before.

 

"Kihyunnie? We're ordering pizza, you want some?" he asked, at least bothering to sound apologetic for entering his room without permission. Kihyun was a little surprised to see his generally carefree roommate actually worried. Changkyun must have told him how crazy he looked when he got home.

 

"Yeah, sure. Corn? Peppers. Whatever is fine," he groaned, his voice muffled by the throw that covered his face.

 

"Mmkay," Minhyuk said softly, and Kihyun could hear him begin to shut the door.

 

"He asked about me," Kihyun mumbled.

 

"What?" said Minhyuk, and Kihyun pulled his blanket off his face.

 

"Wonho. He apparently asked Jooheonnim if I was feeling alright after being outside in the cold last night," he clarified, staring up at the ceiling to avoid seeing Minhyuk's expression.

 

"Ohmygod," Minhyuk responded, clearly trying his level best not to freak out, but not doing a great job at it. When he plopped on the end of the bed, Kihyun reluctantly sat up.

 

"Oh my god, what did he say, like, exactly?" Minhyuk asked, and Kihyun brought up the text messages on his phone and handed it over. After a quick scan, the blonde haired man groaned.

 

"Jooheonnim is so useless!" he griped, "I mean, did he sound concerned or like flirty or was he being sarcastic???"

 

"I highly doubt he would ask after someone's health ironically," Kihyun said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

 

"He _likes_ you," Minhyuk said, quickly jumping to conclusions.

 

"Oh I don't- it's just really over the top professional courtesy is all," Kihyun said, blushing. "You've seen how he is with his fans on insta, I can only imagine how he acts towards his coworkers and shit."

 

"He bought you coffee," Minhyuk insisted.

 

"Not just me, there were two other photographers there," Kihyun clarified.

 

"But you're the one he asked about! He wanted to know if you were sick! He _remembered your name_ , Kihyunnie!" Minhyuk said, grabbing his arm.

 

Before he had a chance to pull away, Changkyun strode into the doorway.

 

"He remembered your name?" Changkyun asked, an eyebrow raised.

 

He just barely managed to dodge the pillow Kihyun chucked at him from the bed.

 

"GO ORDER PIZZA, CHANGKYUNNIE!" Minhyuk shouted, laughing uncontrollably.

 

After an hour or so of pizza eating and heated discussion of what Kihyun should do next (in which he had to actively ignore Minhyuk's suggestion to 'jump Wonho's bones' and Changkyun's riotous laughter), Kihyun realized that he'd basically left Jooheon on read. He mulled over just leaving it entirely, feeling unsure of himself and what he should even say. But after forcing his uncooperative roommates to do the dishes, he found a moment alone to respond in the most chill way he could manage.

 

_Kihyun: Haha that's weird! He gave a couple of us photographers some coffee the other night, that's all._

 

Jooheon texted back six sets of eye emojis, and after a minute he texted again.

 

_Jooheon: I dont think he believed me when i said ur not sick. Switch assignments w/me dude._

 

_Kihyun: For Monday? I've just got a couple airport gigs, but I'm fine to trade. Why, what do you have?_

 

_Jooheon: i got Wonho. Its gym day, dude._

 

Kihyun flushed bright red, his mind flashing to those selfies of Wonho's broad, muscular back. He responded with a curt, "fine," before throwing his phone on the coffee table and scampering over to the computer. It was a relief to know that Changkyun was headed out the door to his late night bar tending gig and Minhyuk had succumbed to the thrall of a video game. It meant he could switch his assignment without scrutiny, and then take a moment to reflect on what the fuck he was actually doing.

 

Wonho was famous. Not, like, crazy famous, but definitely famous _enough_ . There was no particular reason for him to show any interest in Kihyun. He considered himself pretty good-looking, sure, but not like that. Not Adonis one minute, adorable fluffy bunny the next. And sure, Wonho was nice, but they had never actually had a real conversation together. Plus, it was his literal job to try and catch celebrities off-guard and then publish the evidence. Nothing too scandalous, definitely nothing illegal, but still. Most celebrities _hated_ that kind of thing.

 

But now one knew his name. Wanted to know that he was alright and healthy? Noticed when he wasn't there? It had to just be a coincidence, a misunderstanding. At least he could clear things up on Monday and move on with his life knowing that he was just another face in the crowd. Maybe.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listeeeeen, brat_cat is an angel and y'all are super nice and if I die from the comeback tomorrow, I promise I'll come back from the dead to finish this XD
> 
> No but seriously I really hope you like this one, it was super fun to write!

Sunday felt like it dragged on forever. Kihyun managed to do some editing and had a nice catch-up call with his family before being pretty much useless the rest of the day. He tried to clean to keep his mind off things, but the kitchen was surprisingly neat and Minhyuk never let him near his disaster of a room to make some order out of chaos.

 

Much of the rest of the day was spent aimlessly browsing the internet and "accidentally" stumbling on information about Wonho.

 

He wasn't hard to find information on, and a lot of it Kihyun already knew. Born in Gunpo, had a younger brother, March birthday...nothing too exciting. He had a brief scandal with a model sometime last year, but it turned out to be a different guy with a surprisingly similar build and hair cut.

 

"You're verging on straight up stalking there, hyung," Changkyun murmured in his ear, making him jump about a  foot.

 

"I-I'm just curious!" Kihyun yelped defensively, quickly closing the browser he had open. 

 

With a shrug and a smile, Changkyun plopped on the armchair nearby, draping his legs over an arm. "I'd like it if somebody googled me, personally," he said. 

 

"You don't think it's creepy?" Kihyun asked hesitantly.

 

"Nah, just shows interest," Changkyun responded, running a hand through his hair. "It's kinda cute," he added with a sly smile.

 

"Okay I know that Kihyunnie is gorgeous, but you are totally banned from falling for him too," Minhyuk interrupted, strolling over with a soda to punch Changkyun in the arm.

 

"Think of poor, fluffy Wonho's broken heart! The sad cryptic tweets! The mournful selfies looking out the window at rain!" He chirped and Changkyun chuckled. 

 

"Kihyun-hyung is safe from my untoward advances as long as Chaperone Minhyuk is around," he said with a grin. Kihyun just rolled his eyes.

 

"You both make it sound like I'm ripe to be wooed or something," he griped.

 

"Awww Kihyunnie's just saying that ‘cause you're not his type," Minhyuk said, clicking his tongue and shaking his head in Changkyun's direction.

 

"How would you know my type?" Kihyun asked, blushing.

 

"Muscles?" Minhyuk suggested.

 

"Lil’ dumb," Changkyun added.

 

"But lovable dumb, like Golden Retriever dumb," Minhyuk clarified, and Kihyun found himself thoroughly embarrassed at just how right they were.

 

"I mean, it's basically every guy you've ever brought home, hyung. It's not too hard to peg," Changkyun added, and as Kihyun sorted through his previous conquests, he realized they were right.

 

"Y-yeah well..." Kihyun stammered.

 

"Oh!" Minhyuk gasped.

 

"What?" Kihyun responded snidely, expecting more astute observations about his preferences in romantic partners.

 

"That lovable jock of yours is doing a V Live," Minhyuk said, flashing his phone screen towards him.

 

A recent tweet from Wonho did indeed include a link to a V Live, with the caption, "just a lazy afternoon, gonna answer your questions ❤️" Kihyun briefly wondered if Wonho ever typed anything without a heart after it.

 

"Put it up on the TV," Changkyun suggested, pulling out his own phone to open the livestream and start tapping the heart icon. Kihyun could feel his stomach swoop a little at the prospect, but he didn't stop Minhyuk from accessing the app on the bigger screen. They piled on to the couch together, and after a few seconds of loading, they finally joined the chat.

 

Kihyun immediately regretted everything. It was Wonho, alright. Wearing just a tank top and gym shorts despite the cold weather outside. His hair was wet and his cheeks flushed. When he folded up his legs to get more comfortable, Kihyun could see just a peek of a tattoo on his upper thigh, and he freaked out so badly he almost threw something at the screen.

 

"Hi everyone! I'm just fresh out of the shower. Wish I could've just taken you with me," he said with a wink. Kihyun clutched a throw pillow to his chest and tried not to scream.

 

Changkyun and Minhyuk were dying with laughter already.

 

"You're doomed," Changkyun said, clapping him on the back.

 

"You want us to leave the room so you can have him all to yourself?" Minhyuk asked, and Kihyun could only manage to make grumbling noises of dissent.

 

"Wow there's already a couple thousand of you!" said Wonho cheerfully. "I wish I could see your smiling faces." Kihyun felt like he could die. How could one man be this cute and this embarrassing at the same time?

 

"Ask me questions! I'll answer pretty much anything," he said, and Kihyun thought Changkyun's suggestive eyebrows might just fly off his face.

 

Minhyuk was already furiously typing on his phone.

 

"What do you think you're doing?" Kihyun asked.

 

"Nothing," said Minhyuk, happily feigning innocence.

 

"Okay, geeze, five thousand of you already!" Wonho said, pausing to scroll through comments. "'Wonho Oppa! When's the comeback date?' this one says. February! That's all I can say! I'm dying to tell you more, though," he said. Wonho scrolled through slowly, pausing now and then to smile at comments, until stopping and raising his eyebrows with a little chuckle.

 

"Ah, someone says, 'What do you look for in a partner?' ...and they asked it about ten times in a row," Wonho said, grinning. Kihyun shot Minhyuk a look to kill, but listened anyway.

 

"Mm well, you know it's kind of frowned upon to date, but...someone well put together? Someone who's smart, basically the opposite of me," he said with a laugh. "Dark hair is a bonus!"

 

Minhyuk shrieked and Changkyun patted Kihyun enthusiastically on the back.

 

"That doesn't even sound like me!" Kihyun yelped.

 

"Umm yes it does," Minhyuk argued. "You two couldn't be more different. And you're smart as hell and have dark hair."

 

"I'm not put together at all!" Kihyun griped.

 

"Hyung, the only pajamas you own are matching sets," Changkyun pointed out.

 

"You did clean the fridge yesterday. And you fold your socks," Minhyuk helpfully added before turning his attention back to his phone, frantically tapping the livestream’s heart icon.

 

Wonho moved on to less scandalous questions about snack preferences and skincare regimens, but Kihyun's mind was still focused on his answer to Minhyuk's question.

 

He hadn't necessarily specified that he was only interested in women, so that was a very good sign at least. But the rest of it, he wasn't so sure about. His roommates seemed so certain that he was a perfect fit, but he would really only call himself average smarts-wise, and while he could clean a house like nobody's business, it was often just a distraction from anxiety. He hid a lot of concerns about his work from his friends, the frustration of what he wanted to be doing and what he was stuck with. When he thought about it, he didn't feel that put-together at all.

 

"How do you feel about the paparazzi?" Wonho said, snapping Kihyun out of his mire of self doubt. When he shot a look at Minhyuk, the other man only shrugged and smiled innocently.

 

"We're very lucky in Korea to have pretty well-behaved photographers! I've heard that it's much worse in other places, but the ones I’ve dealt with are pretty courteous. Plus, I usually like the photos they take! Especially ones when I get a chance to sign stuff for fans, they make me really happy!" Wonho said, his eyes scrolling down the chat window.

 

"Ah, some comments are saying they're mean or invasive. I can see how you would think that, and there are definitely bad apples… But it means that my fans get to see me every day. I'm grateful for that," he clarified.

 

"Oh, and I've met some really nice ones lately, too. What a coincidence!" he added with an unsuspecting smile, and Kihyun buried his face in his pillow.

 

"So...You gonna take his name when you get married, hyung?" Changkyun asked, clapping him on the back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alligator has killed me, but I have risen from the grave to continue my beloved fluffy project! This chapter might be my favorite yet, tbh. 
> 
> Thanks as always to brat_cat, my tireless beta, whom I pay in mutual encouragement to write and photos of Changkyun's nail polish ♥

When Monday finally arrived, Kihyun was a nervous wreck. He knew it meant nothing, that dropping a few little random tidbits in a vlive was coincidence and in no way directed at him. After all, there was no chance Wonho knew anything about him, really. But between his own wild fantasies and his roommates encouragement, he was up half the night thinking about how to act around Wonho when he saw him at his next assignment, what he could say.

 

Of course, there was no guarantee that he would even interact with him at all. He'd probably just walk out of the gym with a wave, like normal. The idea was planted in his head though, and he couldn't make it budge.

 

When he woke early the next morning, he was groggy and exhausted, but he at least felt reassured that he would get all this excitement over with early. Wonho was scheduled to be heading out of the gym by 10am. After a shower, and admittedly spending more time than he usually took getting ready, Kihyun grabbed his camera bag was out the door.

 

After arriving and parking, he found a convenient street corner across the way and joined the small crowd of photographers waiting for Wonho to exit. He had been here a few times for other assignments, it was a popular gym for idols with pretty strict privacy rules.

 

Still anxious from the prospect of seeing Wonho, Kihyun's hands shook nervously as he removed his Nikon from its case. Another photographer noticed his camera and asked about his lens, and he found himself feeling a bit more at ease. They talked shop for a little while, chatting about new camera models until a guy from Dispatch showed up. One of them made a joke about wondering who's secret dating life would be exposed via sandwiches, and they all got a pretty good chuckle out of it.

 

As conversation lapsed into somewhat awkward but courteous silence, Kihyun realized just how cold it was. He had been smart enough to grab a hat and gloves, but he still felt the chill creep into his bones as they waited.

 

It wasn't long before they realized that Wonho was running late. After about ten minutes past the hour, one photographer had to leave for another gig. A few more left after twenty, citing the frigid temperature. By the time it was half an hour out from the expected time, Kihyun was the only one left.

 

Left shivering by himself on the street corner, he wondered if he was just crazy. Even if Wonho had any passing interest in him, was it worth freezing himself half to death just to see if he might say, "hello?"

 

"This was fucking dumb in the first place," Kihyun muttered to himself as he turned to leave.

 

After a few steps in the direction of his car, a bright and friendly "Kihyun-ssi!" reached his ears from across the street and stopped him in his tracks. Sure enough, there was Wonho breaking away from his assistant and bounding across the street. Even in sweats and a puffy winter coat, he was good-looking. His blonde-blue hair poked out from under his beanie, and his pale skin was flushed from the cold. Kihyun could feel his heart pound in his chest to hear his own name leave the idol's lips. Some part of him couldn't even believe that he remembered his name, but to actually  _ hear him say it _ was something else entirely.

 

"I'm so glad you're okay, Kihyun-ssi! I felt so guilty. I thought waiting outside for me in the cold might have gotten you sick!" he gasped. 

 

For a moment, Kihyun couldn't even register what he was even saying. Wonho had been worried about him, had felt guilty that any theoretical illness was his fault because he was the reason Kihyun was standing around in the cold. With a flush, Kihyun realized he hadn't even noticed the chilly weather for the past several minutes, he felt warm just being in Wonho's company. 

 

"Oh, no, thank you for your concern, Wonho-nim, but I'm fine," Kihyun responded with a small bow, and Wonho returned the gesture.

 

"But you've been waiting in the cold for me again! I wish I had time to get coffee, but..." He glanced over his shoulder towards his assistant and bit his lip. "I'm already running late, my manager's gonna kill me..."

 

"Oh, no, don't worry about-" Kihyun was cut short by Wonho's sudden broad smile.

 

"I know! Do you like tangerines?" Wonho asked.

 

"Y-yeah," Kihyun said, unsure of where this was going.

 

"Wait right here!" Wonho scampered across the street again. After a moment of fumbling, Kihyun remembered what he was actually these for and took a few quick shots of him crossing the street. He made a mental note to thank Jooheon. The way those sweatpants cupped Wonho's incredibly toned ass was ridiculous.

 

After a brief exchange between Wonho and his assistant, Kihyun was more surprised than he  should have been to see the larger man jog back across the road with a little bag of tangerines.

 

"They're my favorite!" He said, proffering the bag to Kihyun.

 

"I couldn't, Wonho-nim, really..." his mind reeled as he looked at the tangerines. What the hell  was this man even about? What motivation could he possibly have to just give fruit to a stranger?

 

"Please," Wonho insisted, and Kihyun allowed himself the briefest moment of eye contact before blushing terribly and taking the bag.

 

"Thank you, Wonho-nim," he said, his heart beating fast as he clutched the little bag of fruit. 

 

Wonho patted him on the arm, and the touch made Kihyun's brain immediately short circuit. 

 

"Take care of yourself, Kihyun-ssi! Go get out of this cold!" He said.

 

"Y-you too!" Kihyun called as he watched him run off, fighting back a grin as he grabbed his camera to catch one last picture of the man.

 

Kihyun managed to get what he thought was the most perfect photo of him yet. Disheveled and flushed, jogging and waving over his shoulder with that big, genuine smile of his spread across his face. Capturing the perfect ray of sunshine on a cold, cloudy day. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic has been such comfort this past week, I got like a chapter and a half written while feeling worried about Wonho ;o; I'm so glad to see it looks like he's doing better! 
> 
> I hope y'all like this one, it's one of my favorites, and I'm starting to include some cute selfies so hopefully you like that too!
> 
> brat_cat, as always, is my intrepid beta reader who puts up with my terrible commas so long as I send her photos of all the best pages in my album photo books ♥ ALSO SHE MADE ME MOOD BOARDS???? LIKE AN ANGEL??? There's one at the end of the chapter, so I hope you love it as much as I dooooo ♥♥♥

Even the next morning when he woke up with chills and a fever, Kihyun regretted nothing. It had felt so heartening to see Wonho again, and the thought of the way he smiled back at him made him feel dizzy. He made a mental note to edit that photo today, and maybe to keep it just for himself.

 

His phone buzzed near his head, jolting him from his thoughts, and he groggily slapped around his side table to find it. With a groan, he gazed at the bright screen.

 

_Jooheon: dude, u want this Wonho assignment or not?_

 

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. Still warm, still had a headache, still had a sore throat. He begrudgingly texted back.

 

_Kihyun: Can't. Think I have the flu. Take it if you want it._

 

 _Jooheon: k! I'll say hi to your muscle bunny for u_ 💪🐰

 

Kihyun grumbled and rolled over, and for the briefest of moments, he smelled something lovely that made his heart race. The tangerines still sat in a little bowl on his nightstand. He could hardly believe last night was real at all.

 

Wonho had given him tangerines. He remembered his name and seemed happy to see him. He touched his arm. Just the thought of it made him want to simultaneously laugh and scream. Instead, he coughed for about three minutes straight and dragged himself out of bed to get some pain killers and breakfast.

 

After he managed to make himself some rice porridge, tangerines, and tea, he shuffled back to his room pitifully and settled in with his breakfast. He had just started to peel a tangerine when his phone buzzed again.

 

 _Unknown Sender: I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE ACTUALLY SICK NOW_ 😭😭😭

 

Kihyun puzzled over it for a second, then ignored it. Probably just a wrong number, just a mildly weird coincidence.

 

Until he got another one.

 

 _Unknown Sender: Oh, sorry Kihyun-ssi, it's Wonho!_ 🐰

 

Staring at the phone, it started to dawn on him what was probably going on. With a roll of his eyes, he picked it up and typed.

 

_Kihyun: Haha, very funny Jooheon. Pick on me when I'm not so sick._

 

After a couple of minutes, he started in to his breakfast, thinking of ways to get back at Jooheon for his ridiculous joke. He rolled his eyes when he saw he had another text, but after a closer inspection, he froze up entirely.

 

Unknown Sender: 

 

 

It was a photo. A photo of Wonho. Cuddled up in a jacket, his hair falling over his eyes, his smile charming as always, and Kihyun couldn't even wrap his mind around what was happening.

 

 _Unknown Sender: Is this proof enough?_ 😅 _Jooheon-ssi gave me your number cause I was worried, I hope that's alright_ 😥

 

Kihyun almost threw his phone across the room.

 

Instead, he resorted to putting it face down on the bed and panicking for a solid three minutes.

 

When he finally composed himself enough to text again, he texted Jooheon instead.

 

_Kihyun: WTF DID YOU GIVE HIM MY NUMBER???_

 

 _Jooheon: yeah? Ur welcome?_ 😉

 

_Kihyun: YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE PEOPLE MY NUMBER, ESPECIALLY NOT FUCKIN WONHO, WHOM WE MORE OR LESS PROFESSIONALLY STALK FOR A LIVING???_

 

_Jooheon: dude, chill. He's totally into you._

 

Kihyun felt his heartbeat rising, his cheeks flushing for reasons entirely unrelated to his fever. There was no way that such a charming idol would be at all interested in him...would he?

 

_Kihyun: ...he is?_

 

_Jooheon: i'm not always the smartest, but i can tell when a dude is dtf. Every time i've seen him in the last week he talked about u??? He said he gave u fuckin tangerines?_

 

_Kihyun: Yeah...he said he was worried about me being sick. Though it was kind of his fault._

 

_Jooheon: that's way sweeter than I thought. I didn't think he actually meant tangerines._

 

_Kihyun: What did you think he meant?_

 

_Jooheon: I dunno, somethin dirty._

 

_Kihyun: ????????_

 

 _Jooheon:_ 🤷🤷🤷

 

_Kihyun: Just...whatever. You're not fucking with me, right? This is seriously him?_

 

_Jooheon: dude why would i get in the way of true wuuuuuv?_

 

 _Kihyun: Oh, whatever_ 🙄

 

Taking a moment to heave a sigh and then frantically blow his nose, Kihyun let go of the aggravation of dealing with Jooheon's weird fruit symbolism to focus on what was actually going on.

 

Wonho had texted him. Wonho had his number. Oh shit, he had to _respond_ to Wonho. He had more or less left the prettiest man on Earth on read for the past few minutes. Frantically, he grabbed for his phone again. After finally entering his name in contacts (even typing "Wonho" felt weird) he texted back.

 

_Kihyun: Sorry! Sorry. Of course it's alright. He's just...kind of a prankster, totally the type to trick me as a joke._

 

 _Wonho: Oh! I totally get that_ 😂 _Definitely seems like the type._

 

_Kihyun: Right!? He's kind of a handful. Sorry if he's been bugging you._

 

 _Wonho: Nah, I think I've been bugging him more than the other way around_ 😅 _Is it weird that I asked him about you???_

 

_Kihyun: No, not at all! I was uh...flattered, honestly._

 

 _Wonho: I just...I feel so bad you got sick, it's all my fault_ 😔

 

_Kihyun: No, Wonho-ssi! It's okay! If I wasn't outside for you, I'd be outside for someone else._

 

After half a second, Kihyun immediately regretted his last text. He didn't want Wonho to sound disposable, or like he was just some celebrity. Quickly as he could, he added another text.

 

_Kihyun: I'm glad it was you, though. Nobody else would have given me tangerines or been worried about me at all._

 

 _Wonho: Well that's dumb! Other people are dumb_ 😠

 

_Kihyun: Haha yeah, they are!_

 

After a moment, Kihyun typed something and hesitated. He wasn't sure if it was the cold medicine kicking in or his sickness making him woozy, but after reading it through three times, he pressed 'send' against his better judgement.

 

_Kihyun: Hey, sorry if this is weird to ask...but why are you so nice to me, anyway?_

 

He stared at the little ellipses that popped up as Wonho was typing. When they faded away and then started up again, he felt like maybe he had made a mistake asking. After a moment, when he finally responded, Kihyun changed his mind entirely.

 

 _Wonho: Mm...well first you looked so cute and sad outside in the cold, like a hamster_ 🐹 _But then, honestly, I googled you? Is that weird? But the photos you've taken are so nice!! You always manage to catch me smiling!_ 😊

 

With his heart in his throat, Kihyun frantically started to type a response, but paused when he saw Wonho was typing again.

 

 _Wonho: And then...this is definitely weird. I found your Instagram..._ 😔 _and I saw that you cook! And your food looked so good, and your personal photos were so pretty_ 😍 _Landscapes and stuff, you know. So...I dunno. You seemed really nice and interesting, I guess._

 

 _Wonho: Sorry! I know this is so weird. If it freaks you out, you can totally ignore me_ 😅 _I just don't like lying._

 

Immediately Kihyun ran an inventory of what he usually posted on Instagram in his mind. Wonho was right, it was almost always food pics and travel photos from his far too few vacations. And...selfies, but he decided not to think about that too hard. Not when Wonho said his photos were "so pretty."

 

He was awestruck to see somebody like Wonho, adored by thousands, say that he seemed interesting and nice. To even hear that he had been interested in enough to search him out on the internet made his stomach do flips.

 

_Kihyun: No! It's not weird, hyung. It's not like I haven't googled you. Besides, you're famous, so I probably know more about you anyway._

 

_Kihyun: Thanks for telling me, I really appreciate honesty! And I'm glad you like my photos. And my food. I should cook for you sometime!_

 

He buried his face into his pillow and groaned after reading what he had just sent. A short circuit must have occurred in his brain for him to actually type that, and he reminded himself to never text with a fever ever again.

 

Snuggling down under his blanket, he stared at his phone screen as he waiting for a reply. He'd never been so worried and relieved to feel the little vibration the message sent through his palms.

 

 _Wonho: That sounds amazing_ 😍😍😍

 

With just a trace of his previous embarrassment, Kihyun could feel his heart lighten. A warm fuzziness spread through his chest as he rolled over to get some much needed flu-recovery sleep.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How is this already to 7 chapters??? I am baffled. Brat_cat is, as always, my irreplaceable beta, who does things like leave me funny comments to make me dread the editing process way less, and in return I send her every gif of Changkyun grabbing his crotch during the rowdy rap line part of Alligator that I can find. Truly, a symbiotic relationship. Oh! And she made me some beautiful mood boards, one of which is at the end of the chapter! So pretty ;o;
> 
> This fic continues to be such a joy to write, and not in the least part because of y'all ♥ Thank you so much for all the comments and kudos! I've got...quite a bit more plotted out? So here's hoping I'll be able to get to everything I want!

Kihyun turned over in bed to the buzz of a text message, freshly woken up even though it was already almost noon.

 

_Wonho: How are you feeling today?_

_Wonho: I'm sorry if I kept you up last night_ 😔

 

Kihyun's heart skipped a beat. Even though they'd chatted all night about goofy stuff, Marvel movies, favorite foods, their jobs, recent k-dramas, Wonho’s texts still gave him butterflies.

 

_Kihyun: Still kind of out of it, but I think the tangerines are helping._

_Kihyun: Nah, it was nice to talk! Being sick is so boring._

 

He stretched a little, hoping some of the sickness-induced soreness would fade, but he still felt pretty achey. It was a definite improvement from yesterday, at least. His fever had finally broken, but it would still be another day before he was back on his feet.

 

A knock on the door startled him, and Changkyun cautiously poked his head in when he croaked for him to come in.

 

"You dead yet?" his roommate asked, and Kihyun threw a pillow at him.

 

"Not yet!" he griped and Changkyun threw the pillow right back.

 

"I'm goin' to the store and thought I'd see if you needed anything, crazy."

 

"Oh...yeah. Ramen stuff, please," Kihyun said.

 

"Like...?" Changkyun asked with a frown, clearly having no idea what went into ramen or what they had in the pantry.

 

"Oh, uh, I'll text you a list once I double check what we have. Are you gonna be around for dinner?" Kihyun asked, slinking his way out of bed and shuffling on his slippers.

 

"Nah, got a work event at the restaurant tonight at 5. Open bar," he groaned with a roll of his eyes. Kihyun knew he hated anything where a business would rent out the restaurant he worked at. There were always way too many people ordering way to many drinks and not tipping enough.

 

"Ugh, sorry, man. Minhyuk?" Kihyun asked as he started to collect tissues, tangerine peels, and medicine wrappers from his side table and shove them in a trash bag.

 

"I think he said something about a date?"

 

"You mean he told you about fifty seven times with waggly eyebrows and obscene finger gestures, right?" Kihyun assumed, passing by Changkyun in the doorway to bring his trash out to the larger kitchen trash can.

 

"You know, that does ring some bells," Changkyun said with a chuckled, shoving his feet into his sneakers and bundling up for the cold.

 

"Don't forget to text me what you want! And save me some!" he called as he headed out the door.

 

"Bye!" Kihyun shouted in his general direction as he started to scan the cupboards for ingredients. He had stock he had made a few days ago, mushrooms that still looked more or less alright, and eggs that were still within their best buy date. A quick text to Changkyun for pork, noodles, and orange juice for his cold, and he could relax a little. When he settled in on the couch with some tea, he felt his phone vibrate.

 

_Wonho: Well, I'm off for the rest of the day_ 😃 _So maybe I can kind of keep you company while you're sick and bored! What are you gonna do with a day off?_

 

_Kihyun: Oh, uh, I was thinking about making ramen! Made me crave it when we talked about it yesterday, and it's so good when you're sick._

 

He could feel his heart beating a little faster, and he wasn't sure if it was his sickness or the thought of chatting with Wonho all day. With Wonho even offering to continue chatting with him. It was comforting to hear somebody say something like that, that they wanted to talk with him more. But it also made him nervous. What if he said something dumb or made Wonho uncomfortable? The less delirious he was with fever, the more anxious he was about their burgeoning friendship.

 

For once, he wished Minhyuk didn't work 9-5 at the daycare center. He could sure use a cheerleader right about now.

 

_Wonho: Omg that delicious ramen you posted on insta?_ 😍

 

Kihyun's heart skipped a beat. He had forgotten that Wonho had found his Instagram yesterday. When he checked his notifications last night, he had found his private account from the dozens of likes he had left on all his photos, and they had mutually followed each other. There weren’t too many pictures on there, and Kihyun couldn't blame him with how active he was on his other instagram, but the family snaps with his mom and random photos of dogs or food really warmed his heart.

 

_Wonho: Kihyun-ssi, sorry if this is weird, but...could you teach me how to make ramen? Like...over a video chat or whatever?_ 😱😮😰

 

Almost robotically, Kihyun dropped his phone on the couch after reading the text, and then calmly finished off his tea.

 

"What the fuck," he said aloud to no one before grabbing his phone and furiously texting Minhyuk, steady job be damned, and desperately hoping he was on his lunch break.

 

_Kihyun: Wonho wants to fucking video chat with me???? So I can teach him to make ramen?????_

 

_Minhyuk: ..."make ramen"_ 😉😉😉

 

_Kihyun: No I'm serious, help me, you ass!_

 

_Minhyuk: Well? Do it!!!_

 

_Kihyun: It's not too weird???_

 

_Minhyuk: He asked you, right? So clearly he doesn't think so._

 

Kihyun heaved a sigh. It was a thoroughly exciting prospect, actually getting the chance to really talk with Wonho. Plus, he was pretty confident in his cooking anyway. Having something to talk about that he wasn't terrified of was a definite bonus.

 

_Kihyun: Alright, I guess...Oh shit I look like garbage!_

_Minhyuk: Well, fuckin' shower and then win your beefcake over with your delicious ramen, you dweeb._

 

_Minhyuk: They say the way to a man's heart is with his dick, but it can't be true for everyone, right?_

 

_Kihyun: Okay. I hate you. Thanks._

 

Hesitantly, Kihyun switched over to his conversation with Wonho and scanned it one more time before responding.

 

_Kihyun: Yeah! That sounds nice. Um, here, let me send you the ingredients. I'm waiting on my roommate to come back with groceries, uhm...is cooking around 5 okay?_

 

He prayed that Minhyuk would be out of the house by then, and then he would have the entire apartment blissfully free of roommates telling sordid stories about him in the background and he could actually talk to Wonho on his own. With as much patience as he could muster, he ate a tangerine and waited for the older man to respond. He was less than two segments in when he got a reply.

 

_Wonho: Yes!!!_ 😃 _Send me the recipe and I'll figure out groceries, too! I'm so excited_ ❤️

 

Butterflies erupted in Kihyun's stomach when he read it, and they didn't go away when he scanned it again. He quickly sent Wonho his usual recipe with some notes.

 

_Kihyun: Store bought stock is fine! But definitely stock, not broth. I'm adding corn to mine too, but you don't have to!_

 

Before he could even feel dumb about what he thought was a ridiculous amount of overbearing yammering about food, he got another message.

 

_Wonho: Omg this looks so good!!_ 😍 _I love corn, definitely adding some!_ 🌽

 

Kihyun collapsed on the couch, overwhelmed. How could one man functionally be this adorable? Who even knew that there was a corn emoji? How was he going to survive video chatting???

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, this was such a self-indulgent, fun chapter to write ♥ I love cooking, especially cooking with other people, and these two idiots are just too adorable. I hope you like it ;o; And thank again for all your support thus far!
> 
> The ever-benevolent brat_cat is my beta, whom I supplement with fun smutty side projects that she will also, inevitably, be forced to beta, but at least I also send her fan sign photos of Changkyun with his now beautifully pink-tinged hair.

After an hour of debating clothes and fussing with his bangs, Kihyun felt more or less ready to video chat with Wonho. He hoped that the choice of his favorite cozy sweater wasn't too boring. Minhyuk was always telling him that pink was his color, but he wasn't feeling so sure of himself as he looked in the mirror. At the very least, it was easy to move around in, and it felt nice to be comfortable while he was still fighting the flu.

 

He dabbed a little concealer under his eyes and around his pink-tinged nose, and once he felt more or less confident that he didn't look dead, he got to work preparing the kitchen. A quick scrub down of the counters and the stove, a few tissue boxes stuffed here and there just in case he needed them, and the ingredients more or less within reach, and he was all set. All set to sit and wait for an hour because he had mildly panicked and finished preparing way too early.

 

He collapsed on the couch and caught up with his social media feeds pretty quickly. After triple-checking the time, he cautiously clicked on Wonho's instagram, as though he was nervous the older man would catch him doing it somehow. His face grew warm as he scrolled through it, pausing here and there on a cute selfie or a particularly delicious looking photo of food. He debated liking a post from almost a year ago, wondering how that would look to the idol if he was clearly rummaging through his feed, when Wonho sent him a text.

 

 _Wonho: Ready when you are!_ 🐰💕

_Wonho:_

  


 

Kihyun giggled a little at his goofy selfie before getting himself off the couch and walking to the kitchen, psyching himself up for calling him. He leaned on the counter, took a deep breath, and pressed the video call button.

 

"Hi, Kihyun-ssi!" came Wonho's cheerful choice, and Kihyun's heart skipped a beat to actually see the idol's face on his screen, speaking directly to him. Wonho's smile was as bright and cheerful as ever. The younger man felt a little lump in his throat as he went to speak.

 

"Hey, Wonho-nim!" he chirped back, smiling at the older man's infectious enthusiasm.

 

"I think I have everything!" Wonho said, and he panned his phone to show Kihyun the pile of ingredients that sat next to a little electric burner on his table.

 

"I'm not very good at cooking though, so you might have to hold my hand a little," he added, and Kihyun's heart fluttered at the turn of phrase.

 

"Don't worry. If I can teach Minhyuk to cook, I can teach anyone," Kihyun said with a smile, thinking of the time he had to hastily save his iPad from a particularly bad spill his overzealous friend had caused while trying to stir kimchi stew.

 

"He's your roommate, right?" Wonho asked, snapping his phone into a tripod.

 

"Ah, yeah, he and Changkyun. They're old friends of mine," Kihyun explained, trying to figure out a good spot to set his own phone, finally settling on propping it up on the microwave that sat on their counter.

 

"Can you see me okay from here, hyung?" he asked, feeling a little thrill using the honorific out loud for the first time.

 

"Yeah!" Wonho said, and Kihyun could swear he saw the faintest blush cross his cheeks. He casually slid off his hat, plopping it on the table next to him and ruffling his hair with a hand. Kihyun was surprised to see it was a shimmery silver, and his heart swooped at how pretty it was on him.

 

"Your hair!" he gasped, and Wonho looked back up at his phone with a cheeky little grin on his face.

 

"You like it?" he asked, fluffing it around a little bit.

 

"It looks really nice on you, hyung," Kihyun said, trying desperately to think of the most reasonable, not-weird compliment to give a beautiful idol who asked you how his hair looked.

 

"Thanks~! Took a long time to get it this way, but I like it!" he chirped, his cheeks flushed from Kihyun’s reply. "So where do we start?"

 

"Well, how about eggs? They can cool while we work on everything else," Kihyun decided after scanning over the ingredients.

 

"Okay! Gotta boil water right?" Wonho asked and grabbed his pot to fill it up at the sink. As he turned his back to Kihyun, the younger man looked around his kitchen a little. He didn't know too much about idol dorm life, and he was surprised to see how tiny the room was. He could see that there was a little sink area, a washing machine, and a fairly large fridge, plus the little tabletop burner, but it didn’t look like they had room for much else. There was also laundry hanging everywhere, and a suitcase stood half open in the corner, seemingly empty.

 

"Ah, sorry, my kitchen's such a mess! Hyungwon's been doing laundry all day, and we can't really hang it outside on the balcony," Wonho said with a sheepish smile. A little jolt of recognition crossed Kihyun's mind. He had read about his roommates but never thought to delve into them too deeply, and he tried to play it off cool.

 

"Ah, how many roommates do you have?" Kihyun asked, busying himself with filling his own pot.

 

"Oh! Sorry, I don't think they came up before! It's just two, Hyungwon and Hyunwoo, they dance with me. Hyunwoo wants to be a choreographer, and he's really talented! Hyungwon's a pretty famous model too, you've probably seen him in magazines," Wonho explained.

 

Kihyun felt a little stab of jealousy. If Wonho lived with a model, what chance could he possibly have? But he quashed down that fear, reminding himself that he and the idol were barely even friends to that little voice in the back of his head.

 

"So, do I put my eggs in before I boil or...?" Wonho asked, smiling up at him. With a blush, Kihyun realized he had been wrestling with his own anxieties for too long. He tried to convince himself to just enjoy the time they had together, and got back to work.

 

"Oh! Sorry, yeah. Put them in there first and then set your burner to high," Kihyun explained, following his own instructions as he said them.

 

"I guess we can at least slice up some pork while we wait for the water to boil. Oh, and put together some ice water to make the eggs easier to peel." He talked him through the next few steps patiently and soon found himself feeling more at ease. Cooking was a relaxing activity for him, he liked to feel productive and useful, and watching Wonho struggle a little to thinly slice pork was so endearing.

 

"I can't believe you've never boiled an egg," he teased the older man as he showed him how to scoop them out and put them on ice to stop the cooking process.

 

"I eat most of my eggs raw in shakes after the gym!" Wonho protested and Kihyun pulled a face.

 

"Ugh! You're not one of those guys who eats nothing but protein powder, are you?"

 

"Well, I wouldn't be if I could cook better! That's what you're here for, Kihyun-ssi!" he chirped cheerfully and Kihyun felt his heart swell.

 

"Y-yeah well, I hope I can at least teach you some basics," Kihyun said, feeling a little sheepish. He walked Wonho through boiling the noodles, which he was thankfully already able to do without much instruction. They seasoned and cooked the meat next, Kihyun keeping a careful eye on Wonho's pan and the cute way his brow furrowed when he concentrated.

 

"I think we can put everything together now!" he said  with a little feeling of triumph as he grabbed the stock from the fridge. They combined the stock, mirin, and soy sauce, chatting as they waited for everything to heat up.

 

"I'm sorry again that you got sick waiting for me," Wonho said, his face contemplative as he stared at the pot of slowly forming soup.

 

"Oh, hey, don't worry about it, hyung," Kihyun responded while sprinkling instant dashi into his pot. "Besides, it's way more fun to stay home and cook with you."

 

Kihyun froze for a minute, his brain catching up with what he had said and how shamelessly flirtatious it sounded. He avoided looking at his phone, too embarrassed to see Wonho’s reaction, and instead busied himself with opening his can of corn earlier than he really needed to. But when he looked up again, Wonho was smiling softly, his cheeks pink.

 

"Do you like your job?" he asked, and it caught Kihyun a little off-guard. He thought for a moment, mulling over the ups and downs of his position. Being a paparazzi photographer certainly wasn't glamorous, and it was always a pain to tell people what he did because of their bad reputation. But the pay was decent, the hours were flexible, and he did get to take photos for a living.

 

"Yes and no," he replied pensively. "I do love photography, and it pays well, but sometimes I feel like we're a little invasive."

 

"Someone asked about you on a live stream," Wonho said, his cheeks flushing a little more deeply. "Well, not you, specifically, obviously, but photographers in general. And I said that you were hard working and polite."

 

"O-Oh?" Kihyun stammered, far too embarrassed to admit that he'd watched the live stream, much less that his own conniving roommates had sent the question.

 

"Well, that last part maybe have been just about you," Wonho admitted, his ears turning pink. "I was just kind of curious about what it's actually like, is all."

 

"Oh, no, it's totally fine to ask, Wonho-nim! I'm...I'm glad you think that of me," Kihyun said, before hurriedly taking him through the last few steps of combining things.

 

After carefully arranging a bowl, Wonho grabbed his phone and tilted it to show the younger man his ramen.

 

"I did it, Kihyun-ssi! Nothing burned or anything!" he cried.

 

Kihyun felt a surge of pride at the delicious looking bowl, and then, unexpectedly, a little twinge of sadness knowing that they were going to say goodbye soon.

 

With a moment of sudden courage, he swallowed hard and braced himself for the worst.

 

"Hey, hyung, do you wanna keep chatting and eat together, maybe?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, was this fun to write. So many sassy roommates, it's a wonder these boys survive ♥ Thanks again for all the love, I'm still having a ton of fun writing it, I think I'm up to 13 chapters total in my stash? And still going! It's really all because of y'all though, monbebes are the sweetest ;o;
> 
> brat_cat tho, is of course, my favorite monbebe. Who supplies me with devious fic ideas even though she knows she'll eventually end up suffering through editing them, because she is the best ♥ I pay her in fun head canons, gifs of the Ateez boys wearing gloves, and late night drunken fic screaming.

"Hey, hyung, do you wanna keep chatting and eat together, maybe?" Kihyun asked, his heart in his throat. He figured the worst thing that could happen was that he turned him down, but somehow that small rejection felt huge and looming in his mind.

 

"Yeah, of course! Lemme see if I can find a good spot near the sofa for you!" Wonho said with an easy smile. Kihyun could feel his whole body immediately relax, his heart fluttering at the prospect of just sitting down for dinner and talking.

 

"Geeze, yeah, same," he responded, glancing over at the messy state of the living room. Hastily shoving a few things behind the couch, he perched his phone on a stack of books on the coffee table so that he could see Wonho well. 

 

As he settled in on the couch with his bowl, Kihyun felt warm. He was spending fun time with someone he liked and wanted to get to know better, and it seemed like Wonho was just as eager to encourage their friendship, if not even more so. 

 

"Ah, Hyungwonnie!" he heard Wonho chirp. "I made ramen! Kihyun-ssi taught me!" He panned his phone around to show maybe the most beautiful man Kihyun had ever seen. Even groggy and rubbing his eyes, clearly fresh from a nap, he looked incredibly elegant. His hair shone a rich black, and his lips were full and pink.

 

"Oh, is this Kihyun-ssi? Nice to meet you," he slurred a little, and Kihyun felt surprised that Wonho had actually talked about him to his roommates, much less enough that Hyungwon would have learned his name.

 

"Nice to meet you," he responded, still feeling a little shocked.

 

"Try it, try it!" Wonho insisted, offering the bowl to Hyungwon, who took a bite of pork and chewed contemplatively before taking a big slurp of broth, smiling and nodding.

 

"Please continue to take care of my hyung. He's an idiot, and you're too good for him if you can teach him to cook this well," Hyungwon said, and Wonho shoved him out of the frame with his shoulder.

 

"Go get your own bowl, you ass!" Wonho griped, but Kihyun couldn't help but notice how pink his cheeks were.

 

"I'll try to teach him more cooking!" Kihyun called after his roommate, laughing. As anxious as the thought of Hyungwon had made him feel initially, the reality was so different. Dorky and supportive, and clearly platonic, he served more to make Kihyun feel at ease.

 

With a big bite of noodles and a slurp of broth, Kihyun smiled. The ramen  _ was _ really good, just what he needed to help his flu. As he chewed, he pondered just what to talk to the idol about. Their friendship was so new, there was a lot of things they hadn't really covered yet, and he wanted to know everything.

 

"Mm so, you asked me if I liked my job earlier, right? Can I ask you the same? I don't know much about the life of an idol," he admitted as Wonho slurped a pile of noodles. He felt a little awkward asking the question, something invasive enough that it would never get a straight answer from anyone other than a friend, but it seemed only fair.

 

With a nod and a little noise of confirmation, Wonho set his bowl of ramen down and grabbed a pillow to put in his lap. He kneaded it a little as he chewed his lip contemplatively. Kihyun was beginning to feel like he'd made a mistake in asking, when the idol finally spoke.

 

"Hmm...performing is my favorite thing in the whole world," Wonho answered, and the smile on his face was so genuine that Kihyun immediately believed him. "But...there's a lot of pressure, and it's really stressful and tiring sometimes, and it can be kind of isolating, especially with the rules about dating," he admitted.

 

"I'm sorry, hyung. That was too much for me to ask, huh?" Kihyun sighed, feeling guilty for never really thinking about how difficult it must be to manage his busy life.

 

"Oh no, don't worry about me! Really, I wouldn't give it up for the world," he said, his tone content. After a small contemplative pause he added, "Honestly though, it's kind of nice to have a friend ask that. I don't have a lot of people I feel comfortable telling that kind of stuff, and you're sweet to listen." 

 

Kihyun felt a little thrill down his spine, and he swallowed hard to try and calm himself.

 

"O-of course, hyung. You can talk to me whenever," he responded awkward, feeling a little self conscious from Wonho's sudden praise.

 

After a few big slurps of ramen , the idol's broad smile returned.

 

"So have you always cooked this well?" he asked, and Kihyun chuckled. 

 

"I mean, I didn't really cook what you're eating, hyung, you did," he said.

 

"You did it in spirit! And I bet yours tastes even better. You make your own stock right? I wanna try it sometime!" Wonho chirped, and Kihyun felt warm at the thought of having him in his kitchen while he cooked.

 

"I'd be happy to make it for you sometime," he said. "But uh...it wasn't always an interest or anything. I learned in college when I missed home cooking."

 

"What's your favorite thing to make?" 

 

"Kimchi! Such a gross but satisfying process," Kihyun said with a laugh, thinking of the big jar that lived in the back of their fridge.

 

"I used to help my mom make kimchi when I was young!" Wonho exclaimed, taking another big slurp of noodles. 

 

Kihyun's heart clenched, thinking of tiny Wonho in the kitchen with his mom, rubbing spices on cabbage and laughing at his messy hands. He knew the idol was close with his mother, and the thought of him spending those precious moments with her was so sweet.

 

"Oh my god, you must have been the cutest kid!" Kihyun replied, thinking of a tiny, chubby-cheeked toddler with Wonho's cute ears.

 

"Ehh, my mom would say so, but I think was kind of funny looking," Wonho responded.

 

"Oh, a true ugly duckling story?" Kihyun asked without thinking. "And now you're a beautiful swan?"

 

After a second, his brain caught up with his mouth, and Kihyun could have died. He had felt so comfortable a moment ago, but now he was worried that his shameless and obvious flirting would be a step too far for Wonho. The evening had been going so perfectly, and he couldn't bear the thought of freaking the older man out

 

He avoided eye contact for a few moments to bury his interest in his bowl, and only looked up when he heard Wonho speak.

 

"If that's how it works, you must have been the weirdest looking baby to end up looking as handsome as you do," the older man said, his face open and sincere.

 

"Hyung..." Kihyun started, his heart pounding at the implication in his words. 

 

That was, until it started pounding out of panic because his apartment door slammed open.

 

"MINHYUK IS WINE DRUNK AND LONELY CAUSE HIS DATE WAS AN AAAAAAASS!" came his roommate's cry as he kicked in the front door.

 

Kihyun nearly dropped his ramen, and it was only seconds after he'd managed to gingerly set it on the table that Minhyuk took a flying leap into him on the couch.

 

"Comfort me with your  _ body _ , Kihyunnie!" he yelled, pulling at the neck of his sweater.

 

"Minhyuk, jesus, can't you see I'm busy?" He yelped, trying to extricate himself from his roommate's grasp and gesturing frantically to his phone.

 

"Sorry, hyung, he's-" Kihyun tried, and he could just barely see Wonho out of the corner of his eye, his shoulders heaving as he laughed.

 

"Oh my  _ god _ ! Is that Wonho? Am I ruining a moment? Oh wait, shit, no, we've-" Minhyuk quickly righted himself, leaving Kihyun still sprawled backward on the couch. "We've never had sex. He's like my brother. Sorry to ruin your date. I'll go be drunk in my room," he rattled off quickly and started to leave. Before he did, he snatched up Kihyun's bowl of half-eaten ramen.

 

"You're such a lucky bitch that I don't even feel bad eating this, Kihyunnie. God DAMN he's fine," he hissed in the world's worst stage whisper before wandering off, winking aggressively all the while.

 

Kihyun's heart hammered in his chest, and he could feel his face flush bright red as he adjusted his poor assaulted sweater. It was one thing to say something goofy in front of a beautiful boy, and it was another thing entirely to have your roommate yell about your sex life.

 

"...so that's my roommate, Minhyuk." 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay several things! One, thank you thank you thank you as always for being such lovely and supportive folks. Monbebes are the nicest fandom I've ever been involved with and I so appreciate your comments and kudos ;o;
> 
> TWO, YA GIRL'S GOIN TO SEE MONSTA X IN ATLANTAAAAAAAA!!! I'm seriously freaking out, and my long-suffering beautiful beta brat_cat is to thank for that. I'm gonna die. And probably cry. And get to touch Wonho's hand???? I don't???? I just can't????
> 
> Anywaaaaay, hopefully y'all like this chapter and thanks again! I'll be over here dying slowly for the next 4 months.

Even a few days after spending an entire evening together cooking and eating and getting to know each other better, Kihyun's thoughts still lingered on Wonho's warm smile as they flirted over their bowls of ramen. Remembering his comments about ridiculous roommates and job nerves and how much he'd love to eat Kihyun’s home cooking made his heart feel warm as he slowly recovered from his sickness. Seeing the idol post on social media about his first successful attempt at making ramen thanks to the help of “a good friend" just buoyed his spirits even more.

 

A few days after he was fully recovered and finally ready to get back to work, he quickly snatched up a Wonho assignment to take photos at a live radio show he was doing. He stared down at his phone for a few minutes, wondering if he should text him about it, when Changkyun sauntered into the living room, hair mussed and fresh from sleep.

 

"Textin' your boo?" he asked, settling in on the couch. Kihyun swerved his desk chair around to face him.

 

"We're not dating! He can't date!" he griped, perhaps a little more impassioned than he had originally intended.

 

"Secret boo, then," Changkyun replied with a shrug.

 

"Is it weird to tell him when I've taken one of his assignments?" Kihyun asked, completely ignoring Changkyun's teasing.

 

"Nah, he'd probably get all giggly about it. Why?" he asked, and the thought of Wonho's adorable laugh made Kihyun blush. The idea that he would get that way simply because Kihyun texted him was almost too much to handle without imploding.

 

"I don't know, we don't usually let people know ahead of time in my line of work?" he responded.

 

"Yeah, but Wonho's an exception, right? He'll think it's a nice gesture. Text him," Changkyun said resolutely.

 

Kihyun stared at him in awe for a moment, and his roommate shifted uncomfortably under his inquisitive gaze.

 

"What?" he asked peevishly.

 

"How are you so dang reasonable all of a sudden?" Kihyun wondered aloud.

 

"Okay, first, I'm always reasonable. Second, Wonho is clearly into you, dude, and the moment you admit that to yourself is when you can finally start to get somewhere with him, so get your shit together," he griped, and something about the harsh words gave Kihyun a little shock of realization. 

 

Maybe he was right. Wonho had been initiating conversation and giving him gifts and at least clearly wanted to be friends. Maybe it wouldn't be the worst idea to be a little more bold.

 

Though the combination of such a frank statement made Kihyun chuckle a little when it was coupled with his roommate's cranky expression and bed head.

 

"Are you this sure of yourself when you've got a crush on someone?" Kihyun asked, having only ever known Changkyun to commit to one night stands. 

 

"Fuck no," he admitted, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm lucky if I can talk to someone I'm actually interested in."

 

Kihyun doubled over in laughter at that, picturing just how antsy and quiet his roommate could get.

 

"You owning up to having a crush though, hyung?" he asked pointedly, cutting Kihyun's amusement short with a sly smile.

 

"I never-"

 

"It was implied-"

 

"Oh fuck off, Changkyunnie!" he turned back around to face the computer abruptly, his heart pounding. 

 

What _ did _ he feel exactly? He thought about Wonho all the time these days. His smile, his laugh, how thoughtful he was, the cute way he'd rarely text without using at least one emoji. Kihyun still barely knew him, but every time he thought about him, his pulse quickened and his face felt hot. It wasn't too big of a jump to say...

 

"Fine. Fine. I have a...crush. On Wonho," he sighed, feeling like a school kid again. 

 

He felt warm arms wrap around him from behind, and his roommate planted a firm kiss on the top of his head.

 

"I know, hyung. Just wanted to annoy you until you admitted it to yourself," Changkyun said, resting his chin on Kihyun's head. The older man scoffed in response.

 

"You two are cute," he said, giving him another peck on the head before he unwound his arms and wandered away. Kihyun shook his head at him and returned to staring at his phone, thinking of just what to say to Wonho.

 

"Text that boy!" Changkyun called from the kitchen.

 

Kihyun rolled his eyes and stared at the blinking cursor on his screen for a while longer before he eventually settled on something that didn't sound too crazy. He tentatively typed out a message, fighting back the unexpected flush he felt from adding an emoji at the end

 

_ Kihyun: Grabbed a photography assignment for your radio show, so I'll see you this afternoon! Good luck  _ 🌟

 

He was so relieved by Wonho’s almost immediate reply that he actually let out a sigh of relief.

 

_ Wonho: Thank god, a friendly face! _ 😭 _ Lil nervous, getting makeup done now! _

_ Wonho:  _

 

He had attached an utterly adorable selfie of himself getting ready and it made Kihyun's heart flutter. The idol looked extra cute, all scrunched down in his makeup chair, and Kihyun couldn't resist shamelessly saving the photo to his phone.

 

It seemed a little unnecessary that Wonho would need professional styling for radio show, but he realized that it was likely due to the fans and paparazzi gathering outside to catch a glimpse of the idol. Kihyun felt a little twinge of guilt, to think of how much effort he went through every day to look his best for those crowds of people, himself included. Still, he was so excited to see him and wanted to be as supportive as he could.

 

_ Kihyun: You're gonna be great, hyung! _

 

_ Wonho: Thanks Kihyun-ssi _ 😭💕

 

As Kihyun went about his preparations for the day, he kept thinking about the great efforts Wonho must go through all the time. Just to speak on the radio, he had hair and makeup artists working on him, and he probably had a stylist to pick out even his most casual outfits.

 

For a brief moment, Kihyun’s mind wandered as he imagined life as Wonho's stylist, shamelessly picking out sweaters with the deepest of v-necks until the management company reprimanded him.

 

By the time he wrangled his mind back from daydreams about Wonho's exposed chest and collarbones, he was all dressed and ready to go.

 

The trip to the radio station was an easy drive, and Kihyun felt refreshed as he finally ventured outside again after what seemed like a never-ending sickness hibernation. When he arrived, there was already a sizable gaggle of fans and photographers, all hoping to get a good shot of the idol before his big comeback next week.

 

It felt surreal to stand next to the group of excited teenage girls, all clutching or wearing some sort of merchandise with Wonho's beaming face on it. In some ways, he felt so similar to them, admiring a beautiful man and his work. It was weird to consider himself a fan, but somehow it was even more strange to realize that the two of them were, at the very least,  _ friends _ . 

 

As he sorted through his bag for just the right telephoto zoom lens, he thought about that sweet, private selfie Wonho sent him. Something others probably wouldn't see. Suddenly, it occurred to him that he should send him a picture of his own. Though the thought made him nervous, he slipped his phone out of his pocket and snapped a couple of shots, testing out various angles before settling on one that showed off his smile best, and sent it Wonho's way.

 

_ Kihyun: Out here waiting for you!  _

 

_ Kihyun: _

 

 

He slipped his phone back into his pocket, trying his damndest not to think too hard about what he just did. It felt nerve wracking to send Wonho a photo for the first time, and he wondered what he would think of the gesture.

 

"Taking selfies for your girlfriend?" one of his fellow photographers playfully ribbed him a little, and it made Kihyun flush.

 

"Uh...yeah, something like that," he admitted with a sheepish smile.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all I've been working on some more plot development for this fic this week and it's been so so heartening and nice during a really stressful time. Thank you, as always, for all of your support!!!
> 
> As always also thanks to brat_cat, my long suffering beta, who suggested more Joohoney! She is a total gift, and I paid her this week with a Prince Sidon keychain, so that's actually pretty decent considering previous payments.

When Wonho finally arrived, Kihyun felt his heartbeat quicken, and the screaming of the fans was immediately drowned out by his focus on the idol and the clicking of his camera shutter. The older man paused as he got out of the black SUV to wave to their growing crowd, and Kihyun got some adorable shots of him all bundled up in his coat, his silver hair swept over to one side. Wonho seemed to scan the crowd as he walked towards the station. Then, for the briefest of moments, he locked eye with Kihyun, and the photographer felt his heart stop.

 

Wonho's face broke into a grin as he waved just to him, and the whole world melted away. Kihyun snapped a photo before he waved back, his heart full to bursting.

 

The younger man watched as the idol sauntered into the building, a smile still lingering on his beautiful face. He introduced himself to the hosts and settled in, slipping off his coat to reveal a sweater with a neckline that opened up on the shoulder, and Kihyun just about died. With a silent prayer of thanks to whatever god instructed stylists, he snapped a photo of just his clavicle and studied it for a moment. The contour of his neck, the delicate way his skin dipped just above his collarbone, the shine of the open buttons along the edges of the open sweater, it was all perfect. After a minute of inspection, he tilted his camera back down sheepishly, hoping nobody noticed him ogling the photo.

 

"Damn, that's a nice sweater," said a familiar voice behind him. Kihyun jumped a foot and nearly smacked his camera into the owner of the voice when he swerved around to see who it was.

 

"Jooheon! You can't just sneak up on a person like that!" he huffed, shoving the red haired man playfully. He could feel his face burning as he realized he had been caught staring intently at a close up of Wonho's collarbone on the view finder.

 

"Is that how you greet a beloved coworker after a long absence?" he pouted, and Kihyun rolled his eyes.

 

"You're the one who scared me!" he griped. "What are you doing here anyway?" 

 

"Takin’ some photos of some rookies on the show before your boy, so I thought I'd stick around and say hey," Jooheon said, holding up his own camera bag.

 

"Ah, cool," Kihyun responded before his brain had a chance to fully process the rest of that sentence. "Wait, he's not  _ my  _ boy!"

 

"Oh really? ‘Cause Changkyunnie tells me different," Jooheon giggled with a sly smile, nudging Kihyun with an elbow. A jolt of recognition ran down his spine. Of  _ course _ his roommate would have kept Jooheon up to date, they were thick as thieves. 

 

"I mean..." Kihyun looked around a little before pulling the younger man in close to hiss in his ear. "I've got a little thing for him, and that's it. You tell him, and I murder you in cold blood. Minhyuk will help."

 

Jooheon laughed, and his dimples sank into his cheeks as the corners of his eyes wrinkled in that endearing way that Kihyun had always been weak to. He may have been a bit of a snoop and overly rambunctious, but at least he was genuine and would never actually spill a secret if he wasn't supposed to.

 

"I'm pretty sure Minhyuk-hyung could kill me with his bare hands, so I won't tell anybody anything!" he said with a smile. With a little surge of warmth, Kihyun ruffled the younger man's hair.

 

"You know, hyung, I think the feeling's mutual," Jooheon said resolutely, his face looking slightly more serious than Kihyun had ever seen him before. "Not about the murder part! But the romantic part. He asks about you every time I see him, dude."

 

The flush that spread across Kihyun's face deepened as he dared a glance over to Wonho, somehow feeling even more nervous talking about him when he was only a few steps away, almost close enough to touch if the glass wasn't in the way. He wasn't sure if Jooheon was over exaggerating, as he had a tendency to do, but the little hopeful flame in Kihyun's chest burned a little brighter as his encouragement anyway.

 

"Well, I guess that's something, huh?" Kihyun said, staring sheepishly down at his sneakers.

 

"It is!" Jooheon insisted, clapping him on the back hard enough to make Kihyun grunt. 

 

"Anyway hyung, I gotta go, airport gig! See you around!" he said with a brisk hug, and the older man returned it gladly.

 

As he was walking away, Jooheon looked back over his shoulder and grinned as he shouted "Ask him out!!!" at his fellow photographer. Kihyun desperately tried to hide his embarrassment by busying himself in his camera bag, pretending not to know the red haired man at all.

 

Kihyun returned to watching the radio show recording through the big windows of the studio, grabbing photos with his best zoom lens and smiling softly as Wonho answered questions and chatted with the hosts. Jooheon's words continued echoing in his head as he gazed at the idol, and they made him feel a confusing combination of more sure of himself and even more nervous. If Wonho really was interested, would he want Kihyun to actually ask him out? He was an idol, what did that even mean? And what if he wasn't really interested and it was all over exaggeration? 

 

During commercials, the idol came up to the windows to wave, and Kihyun appreciated the distraction from his spiraling thoughts. He caught Wonho breathing on the glass to draw little hearts and messages in the condensation, and his heart swelled. He had a hard time wrapping his brain around how someone could be quite that cute.

 

When Wonho's segment was over, he was more or less ushered out by his very harried looking manager, and Kihyun assumed he was shepherding him off to the next item on his itinerary. The idol gave one last wave to the crowd and a quick smile, but as he got in the car, Kihyun could see him worrying his lip between his teeth, and he felt a pang of concern.

 

Later that night, after hours of editing and submitting photos, Kihyun laid awake dwelling on Wonho's nervous face. The idol had alluded to some work pressure when they had made ramen together, but he had sounded optimistic, and Kihyun had assumed he was handling it okay. He could hear Jooheon in his head telling him that Wonho had been asking about him, and he wondered if it was too late in the evening to shoot him a text.

 

He didn't have to worry for long. The chime of a text message from his phone made him jump a foot, and he opened it while grumbling about weird twists of fate.

 

_ Wonho: OMG that selfie!!!  _ 😮❤️  _ Such a cute photo of you, Kihyun-ssi! Sorry I got to it so late, I hope I didn't wake you  _ 😣

 

Kihyun's heart swelled as he hastily typed back.

 

_ Kihyun: Oh, you're fine, hyung! Thank you _ 😊  _ Are you just now getting home? _

 

He glanced at the clock on his phone, and the glowing letters of 1:30am glared back at him.

 

_ Wonho: Yeah...After the radio show I had a production meeting for the countdown show live performances, and then dance rehearsal _ 😞

 

_ Kihyun: Geeze...that's a long day!  _

 

_ Wonho: Yeah. Comeback season is the most stressful time. _

 

Kihyun pondered how exactly to offer some solace to the idol. He had never really dealt with an experience like this, the most stressful thing he could think of were the critiques he had to endure at art school. Before he could send a sympathetic message, another notification from Wonho popped up on his phone.

 

_ Wonho: To be honest, I'm feeling a little anxious... _

 

The younger man's heart clenched. They'd been fairly candid and casual these past few weeks, but this was decidedly new territory, and the thought of Wonho confiding in him made him nervous and hopeful.

 

_ Kihyun: I'm so sorry, hyung. Can I ask if something in particular is weighing on you? _

 

_ Wonho: I'm kind of nervous about the album doing well, honestly. _

 

A wave of sympathy passed over Kihyun, and he worried his lip between his teeth as he typed his response. 

 

_ Kihyun: I'm sure it will be fantastic, hyung  _ ❤️  _ Your last album was amazing! You're so talented, and you've got a great team behind you, right? _

 

With a sigh, Kihyun sent the message, hoping his words would ring true to someone in such a unique and overwhelming situation. It wasn't long before he got another text.

 

_ Wonho: That's just it...So many people put so much work into it...Their success really relies on my performance, and I can't bear the idea of letting them all down. _

 

Kihyun's heart dropped. All this man wanted, rather than his own financial gain or even artistic appreciation, was to support those who supported him. To make sure they were taken care of. His stylists and choreographers, managers, assistants, and songwriters, Kihyun didn't doubt that he cared about all of them.

 

And he knew that the album would be great, and that his genuine care for his fans would shine through any appearance or performance, and that his star would continue to rise. But here he was, texting a man he hardly knew at 1 am, self-doubting and scared. Kihyun responded in the only way he could think of, urged on by Jooheon's advice.

 

_ Kihyun: Hyung, can you sneak out? I wanna buy you some ice cream. _


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, your comments give me life, every key smash and all-caps post really keeps me goin! I've done some pretty intense plot overhaul in the past few weeks and these chapters that I wrote before that are quite the ordeal to edit, but knowing you guys like it makes it all worth it!
> 
> Speaking of the editing ordeal, brat_cat, my ever-intrepid beta, is a gift, and came with me and held my hand while I got a double helix piercing yesterday. I pay her in katsudon and photos of Chankyun with his shirt pulled open, and she somehow thinks that's a fair price for wading through my lack of self-editing ♥

Kihyun strode up towards the dorm with as much confidence as he could muster. He gazed up at the tall, unassuming apartment building from across the street and waited at the opposite street corner as instructed by Wonho. With his heart pounding in his chest, he pulled out his phone to let the older man know that he was there.

 

It was one thing to invite a cute boy to get ice cream. It was another thing to don sunglasses, a medical mask, a baseball hat, and the fluffiest coat he owned to try and take a greek god of a idol to a convenience store at 2am. With fumbling hands, he typed his message and hit send.

 

_ Kihyun: I'm here! _

 

His hands still shook as he waited, but the response was almost immediate.

 

_ Wonho: I'll be right there!  _ 😃🍦

 

Kihyun adjusted his hat in the side view mirror of a nearby car and picked a few stray hairs off his puffy coat. Mid-primping, he could hear approaching footsteps, and he straightened up to the the sight of Wonho giving him a small wave from across the street.. His heart fluttered as he watched him stride over, similarly bundled with a black face mask and beanie. Wonho was clearly keeping an eye out for any passer-bys, but he pulled his mask down to smile at Kihyun anyway. It made the younger man's heart ache to see his grin so sincere but weary.

 

"Hey," he said, pulling his mask up. "It's so sweet of you to do this, Kihyunnie." 

 

The younger man's brain short circuited at the nickname. It was all he could do to pray his surprise and excitement was hidden behind his mask.

 

"Oh no, it's nothing, hyung. It's the best way I could think of to cheer you up," Kihyun responded, feeling a little sheepish.

 

"Well, it's already working," Wonho said, and the younger man could feel his cheeks burning.

 

"T-there's a convenience store nearby, right? I looked at a map online before driving over," he stuttered, feeling a little silly as soon as the words left his mouth. Admitting to using Naver Maps for the area around Wonho's dorm seemed intrusive, somehow. The idol didn't seemed fazed, though.

 

"Yeah! It's this way," he said, gesturing further along the street.

 

Wonho set a quick pace at first, his strong legs carrying him faster than Kihyun could keep up with. When he noticed the younger man trailing behind, he slowed to a more reasonable pace, and Kihyun tried to not focus on how their shoulders brushed against each other with the limited space on the narrow sidewalk. As they walked along side by side, Kihyun glanced over every now and then to catch glimpses of him.

 

Even after an overly hectic day, with no makeup on, and so thoroughly bundled up, Wonho was beautiful. In the gleam of the streetlights, the strands of silvery hair that poked out from under his beanie shone brightly. His eyes crinkled when he smiled, and the way he buried his face in his scarf was so cute to bear.

 

"I really enjoyed cooking with you the other day, hyung," Kihyun said, breaking their momentary silence.

 

"Ah, I did too," Wonho replied, a little bounce in his step. "It really helped me forget about my worries."

 

"Well, I'm always happy to be a fun distraction," Kihyun admitted, nervously fidgeting with the keys in his pocket when he realized how flirtatious that sounded.

 

"You've definitely been that," Wonho said, avoiding eye contact. 

 

Kihyun's heart raced, and his brain quickly sorted through ways to respond to the idol's comment. His heart pounded in his chest as he tried to settle on pushing him playfully, but it didn't seem to fit the sincerity of the statement and the contemplative look on the older man's face. He breathed a sigh of relief when they rounded the corner and saw the little convenience store, and he felt the pressure to respond dissipate as their conversation shifted naturally. 

 

The shop was utterly devoid of other customers this late at night, and the clerk at the counter seemed thoroughly uninterested in them, keeping her face buried in a beauty magazine as they walked in.

 

They shrugged off the lingering chill from outside before Wonho made a beeline for the ice cream section, evidently knowing exactly where it was. Kihyun wandered over to a little freezer filled with popsicles and ice cream and stared intently at it, pondering what would be the easiest to eat outside and in the cold.

 

"Decisions are hard," Wonho sighed and squatted down to get a better look at the flavors on the bottom shelf. 

 

"What's your favorite, hyung?" Kihyun asked, crouching down next to him and flushing when their legs touched.

 

"Mm… probably cookies and cream. All ice cream is good ice cream though, don't you think?" he mused, looking curiously at the younger man, as though a negative answer would break his heart. Kihyun couldn't help but laugh.

 

"Yeah, hyung. You're right," he said. With a quick glance, he found the vanilla cones he liked best and grabbed one out of the freezer.

 

"Plain vanilla, huh?" Wonho asked, reaching in for a chocolate-coated cookie confection. 

 

"Y-yeah, it's my favorite, honestly," Kihyun awkwardly fumbled with the packaging as he spoke, feeling embarrassed about his simple taste in ice cream, of all things. 

 

"I can see that!" Wonho said, leading the way up to the counter.

 

"Oh?" Kihyun asked, honestly surprised.

 

"Yeah, it's sweet, uncomplicated, and so likeable! Just like you!" the idol chirped, his eyes crinkling as he glanced back at him. 

 

Kihyun barely had time to process what the older man had said as the disenchanted clerk rang them up. A chime caught his attention as the front door swung open, and he could just make out the movement of another customer walking in out of the corner of his eye. Before he even had a chance to get a better look, the clerk was handing him his change, and Wonho was quickly whisking him out the door, pulling him along by his wrist. Even through the coat, he could feel the warmth of his hand, and he longed to pull his wrist back enough for their hands to meet. 

 

After a moment of stumbling to keep up with him, Kihyun realized that Wonho wasn't quite himself.

 

"Hyung?" he called, and Wonho glanced back at him, a little nervous spark in his eyes.

 

"I think I recognized the guy who just came in, so we'd better take a long way back to the dorm," Wonho said. 

 

"Oh, a fan? An ex?" Kihyun wondered aloud, keeping up pace as best he could.

 

"Uh...paparazzi, Dispatch," Wonho said shortly, and Kihyun felt his stomach plummet. He was more than familiar with Dispatch's reputation for their shady means of acquiring photos of celebrities, and he felt a twist in his gut to think that another paparazzi photographer would make Wonho this panicked.

 

"If we go my regular route, he'd be able to find the dorm, and I don't want to make things difficult for my roommates, especially since I'm out when I shouldn't be and they were good and stayed home," he added, and Kihyun could feel the desperation in his hurried steps. 

 

His heart ached for the idol, and he couldn’t help but feel as though he was at least partially to blame for this awkward situation. He had been the one who asked him to sneak out in the middle of the night, after all. A wave of guilt passed over him as Wonho gripped his wrist and led them down a dimly lit side street. Kihyun had so hoped to make this evening a nice quiet distraction, but it was turning out to be anything but.

 

They passed a neighborhood park as they made their escape, the jungle gym casting eerie shadows on the sidewalk, and a large shape caught Kihyun's eye. Quickly, he yanked back on his wrist to change their direction, and in a heart-pounding moment, slipping his hand into Wonho's. Trying desperately to avoid thinking about how warm and big his calloused hands were, Kihyun pulled him along towards the structure.

 

A little wooden fort on stilt legs sat in the middle of the playground, a rope ladder hanging from its entrance. It was just big enough for two adults, and the perfect place to hide out from a creepy photographer. With a surge of bravery, Kihyun squeezed Wonho's hand to reassure him as they made their way towards their hideout.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week was rough, but it was so nice to have my boys and your sweet comments to hearten me ♥ Have y'all seen the photos from the start of their tour????? Amaaaazing! 
> 
> HERE IS WHERE MY SHOUT OUT TO BRAT_CAT USUALLY GOES AND YES, THANK YOU FOR BETAING YOU BEAUTIFUL CREATURE, BUT ALSO SHE FINALLY SHARED SOME WRITING AND Y'ALL SHOULD GO READ IT! If you're into BTS as well, that is! It's lovely soft smut, and she's the best and deserves all the kudos ♥♥♥

Kihyun kept a lookout as Wonho climbed the rope ladder before scrambling up into the fort himself. When he reached the top of the ladder, he had to stoop immediately, and it was awkward to settle himself in without accidentally stepping on the older man.

It was cramped, more so than he initially thought it might be, but they had just enough room to sit with their legs crossed. The sensation of their knees brushing against each other made Kihyun's heart pound, and he tried not to think about how he had just _held the man's hand_ for a moment earlier.

As he pulled up the rope ladder, his eyes started adjusting to the dark little fort. He could see Wonho's head leaning back against the wood paneled wall, his eyes closed. In the dim light, Kihyun could just make out his hands fiddling anxiously at the hem of his sweater sleeve.

"Hyung?" Kihyun asked hesitantly. The older man sighed and stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought for a minute before he pulled down his mask to speak clearly.

"A cute boy asked me to go get ice cream with him when I was feeling down, and somehow I managed to mess even that up," Wonho said, and for a moment Kihyun couldn't speak. "Cute boy" echoed in his head, and his blood rushed to his cheeks. But the idol was venting to him, he needed him as a friend that he could lean on when things were hard, and he wasn't about to let him down. He swallowed his butterflies and pulled down his own mask to reply.

"This isn't your fault," Kihyun insisted, feeling brave and resting a hand on the older man's knee, briefly thinking that he could brush it off as close quarters if the older man objected. He didn't flinch or pull away, he only sighed and finally looked at Kihyun.

"You obviously wouldn't choose the things that make your life hard. The long hours, the anxiety, the pressure, the stalkers," the younger man continued. He felt nervous under Wonho's steady gaze, and he had take a moment to gather his thoughts before pressing on. "But they're also the sacrifice you make for doing what you love, and your gifts make so many people happy, hyung. The people who are close to you understand that. Your team, and your family, and your friends."

"...and me," he added, feeling his face flush. "I'm fine, hyung, truly. I like spending time with you, even if it's a little unconventional."

At that, Wonho's worried face relaxed into a smile. Kihyun found himself smiling back, and suddenly they were laughing.

"Yeah, I'd say hiding in a playground fort to get away from the paparazzi while eating ice cream is a pretty weird day, even for me," Wonho admitted.

"Oh shit, the ice cream! Thank god it's cold outside. You want yours?" Kihyun said, shuffling through the bag to see whose was whose in the dim light.

"Yeah," the idol replied warmly, his hand brushing Kihyun's as he took his ice cream bar.

A shiver ran through the younger man, and every time their knees bumped or Wonho's foot hit his, it sent goosebumps skittering over his skin. But by now, he was a full on "Fighting!!!" encouragement machine, determined to ignore his butterflies and cheer the idol up.

"When is your first comeback performance?" he asked, carefully licking at his cone as he watched Wonho chomp down on his.

"Mm..." the idol finished his bite and swallowed. "Album comes out Monday, first performance is that night."

"Well, I'll be watching with my light stick, annoying the shit out of Minhyuk and Changkyun with my screaming," Kihyun replied, and he could see the older man grin in the dim lighting.

"I have a hard time picturing that," Wonho admitted, finishing off the last few bites of his ice cream mere seconds after he started eating.

"The light stick yelling part or the annoying my roommates part? ‘Cause you should see me when nobody puts their dishes in the dishwasher," Kihyun said with a smile, and his heart warmed to see Wonho laugh, looking more like his usual cheerful self every minute.

"No, no, I mean do you really have my light stick?" Wonho asked cautiously, and Kihyun could feel his stomach swoop with shock. Had he really admitted that? Twice? In front of Wonho? His heart pounded as he scrambled for what to say.

"UMmm… Honestly? It's in the mail. Should be here tomorrow," he admitted, his heart pounding with embarrassment.

Part of him felt like diving out of the little fort and putting himself at the whims of the paparazzi was preferable to staying here and admitting to a beautiful boy that he bought his merchandise. He tried to stop, but somehow the words just kept tumbling out.

"I've got your albums, of course, but owning that sort of thing always seemed a little bit of a stretch for me… But I saw how hard you were working and I wanted to support you, hyung," Kihyun babbled, his fingers fiddling with the wrapper on his ice cream to ease his nerves.

Wonho thumped his head back on the wooden wall, and heaved a sigh. "God, could you get any more cute?" he wondered aloud, and Kihyun felt a jolt of electricity down his spine. Before he had time to mull over how to respond though, the older man spoke again.

"Thanks, Kihyunnie. That's really sweet of you," he said, meeting his eyes. A fresh burst of butterflies exploded in Kihyun's stomach.

"It's nothing, hyung," he replied sheepishly, the idol's words still echoing in his head. "My roommates will never let me live it down, though."

"Hyungwon's the same way!" Wonho laughed. "He keeps asking me about you!"

"At least Hyunwoo is chill, right? Imagine having two of them!" Kihyun groaned.

"Mm, yeah, Hyunwoo-hyung is pretty quiet, but every time Hyungwon teases me, he just sits back and laughs," he sighed. "And you should have seen his eyebrows when I told him we were getting ice cream! They almost flew off his face."

"Changkyun asked when were getting married," Kihyun added, too swept up in the camaraderie of bonding over roommate struggles to think through what he was implying.

"Hyungwonnie asked me if I was going to wear a hanbok or a western style gown for our wedding! Those two share a brain," Wonho said with a chuckle.

"Well, you can take the gown, strapless of course to show off those perfect shoulders of yours, and I'll take the hanbok. I look great in traditional clothes," Kihyun said practically, feeling emboldened by their shared woes and Wonho's adorable laughter.

"I bet you do! It's a deal," Wonho giggled, and Kihyun's heart fluttered in response. As their laughter died down, Kihyun looked outside.

"It looks like the coast is clear, hyung. We should probably head home before your roommates worry," he said, slightly fearful of the awkward silence that might proceed such an overly friendly conversation.

"Ah, yeah, Hyunwoo will think I'm dead on the side of the road before too long. I don't really do a lot of sneaking out," he said with a chuckle.

"Well, I'm here to encourage bad behavior if you want, hyung," Kihyun said, and his heart immediately dropped like a rock. His brain scrambled with all of the things that could imply, how the idol would take it. After firmly picturing Wonho shoving him out of the fort, he was surprised when he just gave him a soft smile and pulled his mask back up.

As he clambored his way out of the fort, Kihyun heard him say, "I'd like that, Kihyunnie."

With his heart in his throat, Kihyun backed down the rope ladder, and when his feet hit solid ground, he found that he still felt suspended. Somewhere between a dream and reality, he floated by Wonho's side back towards his apartment. The whole evening had been surreal, and in their comfortable silence, he suddenly heard the older man humming, and he was sure he'd died and gone to heaven.

"What's that, hyung?" he asked, and Wonho jumped a little, clearly not even realizing that he had been humming at all.

"O-oh, it's a song I helped write for the new album..." he admitted sheepishly.

Kihyun couldn't hide his delighted surprise. The idol hadn't written any lyrics before, to his knowledge. It seemed like every little thing he learned about Wonho made him fall just a little harder, and seeing him grow as an artist made his heart feel full.

"Something you wrote?" he asked. "It sounds beautiful! I can't wait to heart it."

Wonho was silent for a moment, the only sound their feet on the pavement.

"I… I can sing a little for you if you want," he offered quietly, clearly feeling anxious about it.

"Really? I mean,only if you want to, hyung," Kihyun said, his pulse quickening.

The idol began to sing softly, their foot falls keeping time for him, and for a moment Kihyun thought he would cry.

" _Oh I like you, but now, it’s not just a dream to sing for you...You’re like the blue moon that reflects on the ocean..._ " the idol sang quietly and the younger man's heart clenched in his chest. His voice was beautiful, sincere and calming, and his little lisp caught occasionally in the most endearing way. The lyrics struck him immediately, the words resonating with him in a way that almost made him nervous.

" _I’m thankful for you, when you call my name, when you give me a small smile, for letting me walk with you...I like you, so I’m singing for you..._ " he sang, and as they rounded the corner, the dorm came into view.

"Ah, there it is," Wonho said, his voice a little breathy from the singing. Feeling suddenly self conscious in the face of something so beautiful, something that truly spoke to him, Kihyun almost didn't know what to say.

"Thank you," he choked out, his voice a little less steady than he hoped it would sound. "For the song, hyung. It's beautiful."

"Ah, thanks," Wonho said, the corners of his eyes crinkling. As they neared the corner, he sighed suddenly.

"It's um… it's weird that I wrote it so long ago now, and I only just now really felt what I wrote," he said, and before Kihyun had a chance to quiet his pounding heart and ask what he meant, the idol was waving and jogging backwards across the street.

"Thanks for the ice cream, Kihyunnie!" he called, and it was all Kihyun could do to wave back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't wanna spoil it at the beginning of the chapter, but the lyrics are translated from "I'll Be There"! I wanted to pick a song Wonho had helped write, and they were just so sweet and fitting ♥


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiiiiiiii! Work is hell and I'm tired forever, but the support I've gotten from writing lately has been a port in the storm, and I'm so so grateful. Thanks, y'all ♥
> 
> Brat_cat is my unendingly helpful beta, who has also been sending be sweet photos of soft boys while I struggle at work, and for both reasons I will forever be in her debt ;o; ♥♥♥

The week flew by, and Kihyun woke up with a start bright and early on Monday morning, his heart pounding in his chest as he realized today was the day. Wonho's new album was out. His hands trembled as he anxiously punched in the info for the idol into Spotify, and he held his breath as he frantically scrolled down.

A beautiful photo of Wonho's lips, neck, and chest surrounded by flowers greeted him as the album cover, and Kihyun's heart tightened as he tapped the play button. When he had briefly chatted with Wonho about the album last night, he hadn’t been able to wheedle any hints out of him aside from the beautiful song he had sang to him, so he wasn't sure what to expect. His eyes slid closed, and he let let the sound of the first track wash over him.

The intro track was incredibly addicting, fast beats dropping for impact at the chorus, and catchy lyrics he was sure would be stuck in his head for days. Kihyun found himself sliding out of bed to dance along, starting his morning routine slowly as he enjoyed the music.

The song after was milder, softer, and lovely. Wonho's beautiful voice rang out in his room, and his thoughts drifted back to the sweet melody the idol had sung to him, his heart fluttering at the memory.

'I'll Be There' came on just as his thoughts lingered on it. The romantic track sounded different when it was professionally recorded and mixed, but the fond, wistful tone of Wonho’s voice was just the same. In his mind, Kihyun could see his hair shining in the glare of the streetlights, his cheeks flushed with cold and nerves, and puffs of steam leaving his soft lips with every word.

He wondered what Wonho had meant that night when he said that he finally felt what he had written in those lyrics. Kihyun had tried not to take it too seriously, dismissing it as a kind of a vague comment brought on by a late night and a lot of stress. But he had looked so sincere when he said it, and the younger man's heart skipped a beat every time he thought about it too hard.

The image of Wonho singing to him in the still of the night lingered as he listened through the rest of the album, and between sweet ballads and upbeat future hits, he enjoyed everything that much more in the glow of a passing comment that made him hopeful for something more.

A sharp knock on the door shook him out of his reverie.

"Kihyunnie, if you're done daydreaming about how cute your future children will be, you've got a package!" Minhyuk yelled through the door. "I'll leave it out here! I gotta go, be back at like 7!"

"Thanks!" Kihyun shouted back, feeling a blush creep down his neck. He must have been listening to the album more loudly than he thought.

After a moment's debate, he snapped a quick selfie in bed and chewed his lip a little before he talked him into sending it to Wonho.

 _Kihyun_ :

_Good morning, hyung! Just listened to the album, I love it_ 💖 _I'm sure it's gonna be super successful!_

He desperately hoped that it would be. It was an amazing album and should do well regardless, but he so hoped that others loved it as much as he did. He could already picture Wonho's grinning face while he gushed about millions of views or awards he won, and it made him feel floaty and warm.

Kihyun slid off the bed and opened his door, almost kicking the package that Minhyuk had set there for him. All at once, it occurred to him just what was in the box, and he was both excited to see the contents and so relieved Minhyuk didn't pry it open without asking.

With as much grown-up resolve as he could muster, he resisted tearing open the box like a kid on Christmas and padded out to the kitchen to get some breakfast. When he was finally settled on the couch with a hot cup of coffee and some toast, he opened the box carefully to not damage the contents.

Nestled inside were Wonho's lightstick and the physical copy of his new album he had ordered last week. The light stick itself was a little ridiculous, shaped like a "W" with a textured handle covered in raised hexagonal shapes, but it made him happy to think of Wonho's shining smile as he looked out over a sea of matching lights.

His album was beautiful, and the matte packaging gave an extra touch of luxury to the lovely cover photo. It was one of two versions, and as he pulled out his photobook, he crossed his fingers for the soft cozy sweater photos that he had seen previews of the week before.

Kihyun stifled an actual yelp of joy when he got just what he wanted, flipping the pages carefully one at a time to see every little detail. From a photography standpoint, he was very impressed. The muted color palette let the textures shine through, and the photographer managed to perfectly capture the soft knit of his clothes, his purposefully-rumpled hair, the smooth swath of skin that peeked out along his collarbone.

Even his hands looked gorgeous, his long fingers gripping the hem of his sweater or swiping along his lips seductively. Kihyun's heart skipped a beat to think of that same hand locked in his. Soft, warm skin against his in the cold flickered through his mind. He distracted himself with looking through the rest of the book. Until he got to a photo of the idol pulling his shirt up, and then he had to take a minute to remember to breathe.

"Nice," Changkyun's voice behind him made him jump a foot.

"You can't just sneak up on me like that!" Kihyun griped, slamming the book shut.

"I didn't have to, I said your name like six times," Changkyun responded, stealing a gulp from his mug of coffee and plopping down right on top of Kihyun's legs that were resting on the couch. The older man scoffed and tossed a throw pillow his direction, which he infuriatingly caught and shoved behind his head for more comfort.

"Sooo, didja get a photo card?" he asked with a smirk. Kihyun begrudgingly flipped through his book faster than he would have prefered, finding two little cards tucked away in the middle. In one, Wonho was wearing a comfy looking hoodie, flashing a little hand heart, soft and cute. In the other...a leather harness wrapped around his upper torso over a half-unbuttoned white shirt, and his mouth hung open in a way that made electricity run up Kihyun's spine.

With a long whistle, Changkyun picked up the second card to examine it.

"He's certainly got some range, huh? You think he likes that sort of thing in bed?" he asked with a smirk, and Kihyun kicked his legs up underneath him, managing to at least wiggle his own feet free so he could properly attack him with a pillow.

"Ahhh, what!? Just curious! Dunno if you like that shit!" Changkyun yelped.

"Well I certainly don't like you!" Kihyun yelled.

"You love me!" Changkyun responded.

"Against my better judgement, you ass," Kihyun sighed.

They spent most of the day blasting the new album, bickering over what Wonho liked in bed and why they shouldn't speculate, and giving the apartment a thorough tidying over, when Minhyuk finally came home. He sided with Changkyun on the "definitely a bottom" conversation that managed to crop up against Kihyun's will, and after a brief final bout of griping, they all collapsed on the couch to watch the weekly music awards show.

They were wading through an eternity of commercials when Kihyun got a string of texts.

 _Wonho: I'm so glad you liked it_ 😭😭😭

_Wonho: I'm so nervous rn._

_Wonho: Here's a little sneak preview from earlier though..._

_Wonho:_

__

Kihyun's stomach swooped. He was always handsome, but the beautiful shock of pink hair and the way his lips hung gently open… he took his breath away.

_Kihyun: Holy shit, hyung! You look really sexy!_

He sent it without thinking, and all of a sudden he found himself very preoccupied with fiddling with his light stick for something to do with his hands.

The next little chime from his phone made him nearly jump out of his skin.

 _Wonho:_ _Really??? Thanks Kihyunnie_ 😘 _Just wait til you see the choreography and the crazy outfit my stylist picked out!_

 _Wonho: Ah, I go on soon, wish me luck_ 💖

Kihyun hastily typed back, trying not to focus on the emoji blowing kisses at him in order to shoot him a text quickly before Wonho had to go on stage.

 _Kihyun: Break a leg, hyung!!!_ ❤️❤️❤️

"It's your boy on next!" Minhyuk yelped, shaking Kihyun out of his texting haze.

"Jesus..." Changkyun said when the lights came up and Wonho was standing there, tight leather pants clinging onto his thighs and a black lace shirt just sheer enough to show the gentle curves of his pecs and arms hanging loosely around him. The beat kicked up, and as he started to move, Kihyun could just make out a glistening body chain wrapped around him underneath it.

Minhyuk leaned over towards Kihyun as the idol started to sing.

"You've got first dibs, but if you strike out, can I get a shot?" he hissed, and Kihyun shoved him towards Changkyun on the other side of the couch, unable to think of a witty retort from being so distracted by Wonho's performance.

The choreography was mesmerizing, every roll of his body, every stomp, every sharp swing of his arms was entrancing. This image, powerful and sexy, fit him like a glove, such that Kihyun had trouble wrapping his mind around the idea that the soft, flustered, charming man that sang to him on the street in the cold was still Wonho.

The idol ran a hand down his chest, and suddenly his shirt was entirely open, showing a large swath of pale muscle wrapped in shimmering chains. Kihyun could feel his heart pounding, and the room went completely quiet save for the thump of the bass and Changkyun muttering "Oh, shit..." under his breath.

The performance was over too soon. With one final flourish, Wonho slid forward on his knees, his head thrown back, showing off that delicious strip of skin from his neck to his belt that glistened with sweat and metal. The award show cut to a commercial break, and even Minhyuk was speechless.

From across the couch, Changkyun reached behind them to clap Kihyun on the shoulder.

"You're a lucky, lucky man," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun editing that album cover for Wonho! I thought I might mention that because I'm a total slut for floral meanings, the flowers are (heavily color edited) hydrangeas, which stand for heartfelt emotions and gratitude for being understood ♥


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god are we seriously on chapter 15???? Geeeeze. Well, here we are! Um. I love y'all and this fic and these boys and your comments are super sweet and I've had a damn weird week, but I'm happy to be back here again sharing fluffy stuff with you!
> 
> Brat_cat, as always in my lovely beta, whom I am currently paying in heart shaped Changkyun resin charms I guess??? Not a bad trade off, imo!

Kihyun woke up to news of a scandal the following day. A crazed paparazzi had broken into a girl group's dorm and managed to snap some compromising photos before he was caught. Thankfully he was arrested, but not before the photos hit the internet. 

Kihyun sighed and closed the news app on his phone. His heart ached for the idols, and his gut churned to think of someone in his profession doing such a thing. Between that and the Dispatch photographers trying to chase him and Wonho down last week, he was feeling utterly disenchanted with his choice in careers. Part of him just wanted to wallow in self pity, feeling frustrated with his previous decisions and unsure of what he really wanted to do about it. Instead of burying himself under a pile of regret, he decided to distracted himself with focusing on following Wonho's comeback.

The album was an immediate success, of course. Between the excellent selection of the tracks, the active promotional team, and Wonho's already loyal following, it was almost a guaranteed thing. But what really put it over the edge were the performances for the weekly music shows. That choreography, sensual and surprising, had stuck with Kihyun all week. Almost every day, there was a new show, a new rush of pride and a distinct distraction for the rest of the evening.

Kihyun's breath caught every time he saw him win, too. The older man was so soft and sweet, and he always cried and flubbed his acceptance speech. It was the biggest contrast from his performances, and it made Kihyun's crush on him just that much worse.

Kihyun thought Wonho would be busy and distracted with album promotions, and he tried to give him some space to focus on his comeback, figuring the idol would be too preoccupied to text him. To his great surprise, the opposite turned out to be true. The idol still messaged him often, sending him everything from questions about his day to post-performance selfies holding awards, a big grin on his face and his eyes red from crying. 

Still, it was unexpected when Wonho had texted that he'd love to video chat over the weekend if their schedules lined up. And when Saturday morning rolled around, Kihyun was a total bundle of nerves.

_ Wonho: Good morning! _ 🌞 _ Lemme throw on clothes and I'll give you a call if you're ready!  _

The younger man's pulse quickened, thinking back to old interviews where Wonho joked about sleeping naked. He shoved such unnecessary thoughts away before texting back. 

_ Kihyun: I'm good whenever! _

After an agonizing couple of minutes waiting for the call with nothing but Wonho's bare chest on his mind, Kihyun was relieved to see the little "Accept Call" button pop up on his phone.

The idol was all smiles, his shockingly pink hair rumpled from sleep. A soft-looking grey sweater slung low off one shoulder, and it was almost as good as that shirtless image Kihyun had imagined.

"Kihyunnie!" the idol practically shouted, and all Kihyun could do was laugh, his heart filling up with joy.

"Good morning, hyung!" he said, smiling so hard that he knew his cheeks would hurt later. "Congrats! You've done so well this week!" 

"I couldn't have done it without you to keep me sane," Wonho said, and Kihyun could feel a flush creeping up his neck.

All of those smiling selfies and late night messages had meant so much to him, because it showed that Wonho cared about him, at least in a friendly way. But relationships were a two-way street, and Kihyun thought that having someone supportive and friendly to share things with must be grounding for an idol. A warmth spread through his chest to think he could be that for Wonho.

"I'm still flattered you even want to share this sort of thing with me," Kihyun said, the honesty of his own words surprising him.

"Of course," Wonho replied, his face softening. For a moment, he looked like he was about to say something and then thought better of it, a cloud briefly passing over his face. Then he resolutely settled himself and added, "I know we haven't known each other long, and sorry if this is too much to say... but you're important to me, Kihyunnie."

The younger man's heart soared, and for a moment he couldn't respond at all. He could feel his cheeks burning, and he felt himself pointedly avoiding looking at Wonho for fear of his heart exploding. Still, he managed to choke out, "No, no, I feel the same way, hyung."

He glanced up to see Wonho biting his lip, his face almost as pink as Kihyun’s.

"I-um… I'm really proud of you for accomplishing so much this week," he added hastily, trying desperately to tether his mind and pull it back down to Earth from where it was previously floating in the clouds. 

The idol giggled a little, his blush deepening at the praise. "Thank you... It's weeks like this that really remind me how much I love my job," Wonho said, a grin settling on his face.

"I really wish I could say the same," Kihyun admitted with a sigh. He felt guilty bringing the mood down, but their run-in with the Dispatch photographer and the scandal this morning were still weighing heavily on his mind.

Wonho's worried face made his stomach drop.

"I heard about that stalker case this morning," the older man said, his tone soft and sympathetic. "I'm sure it's especially distressing for you."

"I'm fine, hyung, just… I always wanted to be a photographer, I love taking photos! But I found stuff like weddings and babies kind of dull, and I'm not so sure that this is really what I want either. I see you fighting so hard for what you want, and it makes me want to fight for something, too." The words fell out of Kihyun all at once, a deluge of worries he wasn't even aware he had been carrying. He was rarely this open with anyone, but Wonho's steady, thoughtful, gaze put him more at ease.

"It makes me really happy to hear that I inspire you, Kihyunnie..." he began, his tone strained by emotion. "I'm sorry you've had to deal with these doubts, I think you're so talented. The photos you've taken of me are some of the most beautiful, genuine pictures of myself I've ever seen. And people take my photo all the time!" 

Kihyun melted, and he found himself avoiding the idol's fond gaze for the sake of his poor heart. As he did, though, a little spark of realization lit up inside him.

His favorite part of his job was honestly the lovely shots he'd gotten of Wonho. He thought of the album’s photo book he had poured over and imagined what he could manage with a studio. When he pictured having his own space to take beautiful photos… lighting and props and assistants buzzing around, it made him feel warm and excited about photography for the first time in a while.

"Hey, hyung… Do you think I'm good enough to be a studio photographer? Like for packaging, photo books, or editorial kind of stuff?” he asked, feeling nervous.

"I think you'd be perfect for that!" Wonho exclaimed, and though Kihyun knew his opinion was biased as his friend, somehow it mattered the most to him. 

"Thanks, I... hadn't really considered it until now, honestly. It was my favorite kind of thing to shoot in college, but it seemed so out of reach as a career," Kihyun said, butterflies fluttering around his stomach at the prospect of diving into something like that. "I don't know, maybe it's still too far off..."

"I'd model for you in a heartbeat! And I'm sure my roommates would, too, if you want some portfolio shots!" Wonho chirped, grinning from ear to ear. It made Kihyun nervous to think about accepting the offer, but the excitement soon took over.

"You would really do that for me?" he asked.

"Of course, Kihyunnie! I'd do just about anything for you."


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is going up so late in the day, things have been absolutely *crazy* around here lately x___x I have good news and bad news.
> 
> Good News: I GOT ENGAGED????!??!??! Sadly, not to Wonho, though my fiancee is equally as adorable in my eyes and probably loves ramen just as much. I'm so excited to be marrying him!
> 
> Bad News: Momocon is coming up in 2 weeks and I've got 3 costumes to finish. And no backlog left. So I'm gonna have to take a two week hiatus and I should be back on the first. I'm really sorry, I tried so hard to keep up with it but everything has just gotten so busy. I promise I'll do my best to keep it up from there on out!
> 
> Thank you all, as always, for all of your support ♥ It really means the world to me. And thanks to brat_cat, my intrepid beta, whom I now pay in resin charms of Changkyun, apparently!

"He couldn't have meant it that way," Kihyun insisted, gripping a pillow to his chest and burying his burning face in it.

"Is there any other way to say, ‘I'd do aaaaanything for youuuuu~?’" Minhyuk giggled, batting his eyelashes, clasping his hands together and leaning exaggeratedly on his sheepish roommate.

Kihyun had been burning red ever since he and Wonho had talked. He was excited about the prospect of building a portfolio by getting some shots of the idol and his roommates. Moving towards an editorial career sounded promising, and for once he felt like maybe he could finally feel proud of his work rather than just pulling a paycheck. 

But the warm way Wonho had phrased it, the way the idol's ears had turned bright pink, and how awkward he became afterwards? It was almost like...

Kihyun buried his hopes under a pile of jaded realism, and shoved them to the back of his mind. Even if Wonho did feel… some sort of way about him, he didn't want to assume and make an idiot out of himself. For now, it was better to focus on the chance to make the changes in his career that would make him happier.

"He just wants to help, and I think it would be a great opportunity," Kihyun huffed.

"You're right," Minhyuk said, softening to his bristly friend's mood. "It sounds like a really good chance to shift your focus, Kihyunnie!" 

"Oh, um.... yeah. It does," Kihyun responded, feeling a little wash of relief and surprise at the end of Minhyuk's teasing. He was never outright mean, but sometimes he could take things a little too far, and his vote of confidence was heartening.

"It also sounds like a good chance to meet those hot roommates of his!" he chirped, and all of Kihyun's softness melted away as he shoved his grinning roommate off the couch.

It took a while to plan everything between balancing schedules, finding a studio to book, considering wardrobe and makeup and transportation, but eventually, somehow, everything came together.

Every step of the way, Kihyun's heart was in his throat. He was nervous about taking this step with his work, about meeting Wonho's roommates, and mostly about being around the idol with other people. They had spent time alone, more or less, just the two of them, and he wasn't sure how different he would be around his friends or in a more professional setting. Still, as he busied himself with packing up his equipment the morning of the shoot, he couldn't help but feel more excited than scared. He knew he was taking a step in the right direction, and he felt lucky to have friends that were there to help him along the way.

"Hey Changkyunnie, can you call-" he shouted from his room towards the living room as he neatly organized his lenses into their cases. 

"Joohoney's already on his way, hyung," the younger man said, sauntering into the room and passing him a fresh cup of coffee. Kihyun took it gratefully, having gotten almost no sleep the night before.

"Thanks, I'm really grateful you guys could help today. Wrangling all these people and logistics is kind of a lot for me," the older man sighed, plopping down on the bed and taking a long sip of his drink.

"We've got this, hyung! Leave it to your adorable roommates to keep everything running smoothly, and you concentrate on photos!" he said, looking uncharacteristically cute.

Kihyun cast him a sidelong glance and took another drag from his coffee. Changkyun and Minhyuk had been so helpful the past few weeks. Almost too helpful. Suspiciously helpful.

"So, are you just in this for the hot roommates, or do you have other nefarious plans up your sleeves?" Kihyun asked.

"Nothing, honestly, hyung! Just wanna see you happy," Changkyun said, smiling genuinely enough to dissuade at least a little bit of doubt.

"A likely story..." Kihyun said, finishing off his mug and setting it on his bedside table. "But I don't have time to ponder whatever you two are up to anyway, I have a shoot to do."

They exchanged a pair of grins, one as innocent as Changkyun could make it, and one begrudgingly loving from Kihyun.

"Minhyuk? You ready to go?" he called, assuming that the other man was still just sitting on the couch doing nothing. To his surprise, Minhyuk poked his head in the door, already in a coat with a messenger bag slung over his shoulder.

"Awaiting your orders, captain!" he said with a little salute, and Kihyun handed him a bag full of lenses. They ambled down to the car, laden with camera and lighting equipment, and when they'd managed to stuff the little sedan as full as they could possibly manage, it was just about time to head out.

The entire drive to the studio, Kihyun was blissfully distracted from his nerves by Changkun and Minhyuk. The latter had insisted he be their chauffeur for the day, and the two sat in the back of the sedan, singing along loudly with the radio. A little ways into the drive, their backseat antics were enough to make Kihyun feel just enough at ease to sing along himself. When they arrived at their destination and opened the doors to the studio to start setting up though, Kihyun could feel his heart drop and his nerves sink in.

There was something about actually being in the building that made the reality of the day and his potential career change dawn on him. Maybe it was the large empty sets, full of flowers and fancy-looking furniture, or maybe it was the way the scent of makeup hung in the air. Or maybe it was the thought that he was the one who really needed this to work, that he'd be letting people down if he asked for their help and didn't push things to the extent of his abilities. Whatever it was, he could feel his hands start to tremble, his bag of lenses gently swaying in his grip.

Suddenly a patient hand was grabbing the case from him.

"Where do you want these?" Changkyun asked, a tripod slung over his shoulder and a reassuring smile on his face. With just the help of a friend, the downward spiral of Kihyun's anxiety broke enough for him to look around and think more clearly.

"Oh, uh, over there is fine," he said, pointing to a folding table.

"Wahhhh, look at these flowers!" Minhyuk cried, creating a welcome distraction as he ran to smush himself against the flower backdrop on one of the sets.

"Do I look like a fairy?" he asked, turning quickly and artfully arranging his arms amongst the petals.

"Yeah, I mean, you do look like you'd steal away people's children anyway," Changkyun said with a snort, unfolding a tripod.

They spent the next few minutes sorting through, organizing, and setting up equipment, and the meticulous process and familiar steps made Kihyun feel much more at ease. His calm was only further aided by Minhyuk's running around the sets, lying on beds,leaning on pillars, and being generally unhelpful.

When Kihyun had mostly finished his set up, he heard a creaking sound as the studio door swung open.

"Hellooo?" Jooheon's familiar voice rang out from the doorway, and Changkyun swept in  like a bullet to give him a bear hug. Kihyun had originally met and befriended Jooheon through work, but when he had invited him out for drinks with his roommates one weekend, the dimpled photographer had bonded with Changkyun immediately. Ever since that night,  they had become the best of bros, and he knew they would be hard to separate for the rest of the day. There was something reassuring about that, the soft bonds of friendship in a new and nerve-wracking space, and Jooheon's bright, dimpled smile lit up the place as he wrapped his arms around the younger man.

"Hey, buddy," Kihyun called, pausing from his set-up to help his coworker with his own equipment. He had offered to let him shoot today alongside him, and suddenly he felt so relieved to have someone else behind a camera.

"He's my buddy, not yours," Changkyun said, hanging off Jooheon, more impeding him from moving than helping. 

"I can be both!" Jooheon laughed, handing Kihyun a bag so he could extricate himself from the younger man's grip long enough to get the lay of the land.

When they had managed to settle in, most of their equipment ready and the sets properly explored to see what angles looked best, Kihyun stopped to take a minute and sit, fiddling with his camera to relax. Jooheon was taking test shots of Minhyuk, who was really better at this than they had given him credit for, and Changkyun was setting up some snacks that Kihyun had packed the night before. 

His pulse beat in his ears, but he was comforted knowing that his friends were there for him. His hands shook a little, but he knew the ins and outs of his equipment. His foot tapped with nerves, but he wanted desperately to show Wonho what he could do, and he was so happy to have his support.

Right on time, there was a knock on the studio door.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the unexpectedly long hiatus, y'all. I'm back! And I'm almost done! This chapter was super hard to write as I hadn't been back to it in a long while, so forgive me if it's a little different.
> 
> brat_cat continues to be the best beta there ever was, and the most encouraging and supportive friend that I really needed to get this bad boy finisheddddd.
> 
> Expect one more chapter and an epilogue after this, and I'll be uploading them on Sundays like usual! ♥

There was an immediate camaraderie in the flurry of introductions, and it made all of Kihyun's previous anxieties melt away, replaced by warm feelings of fondness. He felt safe in knowing that he had his friends here to support him, and seeing Wonho's eagerness to meet everyone made his heart swell.

He and the singer had very different jobs in wrangling their respective groups into saying hello. Where the older man excelled with his calm, collected roommates, Kihyun struggled with his motley but well-meaning group of friends.

Minhyuk seemed to take an immediate liking to Hyunwoo, and Kihyun was pretty sure he caught his eyes lingering on the older man's tanned biceps as he slid off his jacket to reveal a loose t-shirt. His roommate's response was the biggest grin Kihyun had ever seen, several eyebrow raisings, and a mouthed "why didn't you tell me!?" as he ushered the older man to the dressing room for makeup.

Changkyun had shifted towards being quiet and polite, something Kihyun recognized from previous interactions with large groups. It didn't seem to phase the boisterous and overly familiar Jooheon, who kept giving people elaborate handshakes, his dimples a constant presence with the grin on his face. Kihyun knew that his roommate could be a little subdued around new people, but it made him suspicious when he didn't even give him any knowing smiles as Changkyun bowed to Wonho. When his roommate stuttered through his introduction to Hyungwon, Kihyun thought he had some inkling of what was going on. He mentally filed it away to rib him about it later.

After introductions, everyone settled into their roles quickly.  Minhyuk and Hyungwon were handling styling, the latter with his face covered by a mask to protect others from the cold he'd caught. Kihyun was a little disappointed he wouldn't get a chance to shoot with him. The elegant dancer was still beautiful as always, even with his face half-covered and his skin a bit paler from lack of sleep.

Minhyuk turned out to be surprisingly good at makeup. Even though the boys had arrived with their own set of tools and enough know-how to make themselves look nice on camera, Kihyun found himself impressed with the careful, subtle smokey eyes that his roommate managed on both of them. When asked about it, he gave a shrug and said, "What else do you think I do when I'm drunk and bored?"

After a whirlwind of makeup and hair and arguing about sweaters, the dust settled, the room cleared, and there was Wonho. Kihyun's heart pounded as his eyes swept over him, slowly taking in the whole effect. The older man looked as soft and approachable and boyfriendy as he could possibly manage, a touch of pink lip tint reflecting the color of his hair and a soft blue sweater hanging loosely on his muscular frame. 

Kihyun watched Wonho gaze up at the wall of flowers, the pale pink light of the gels he had installed casting beautiful rosy shadows across his face. His back was half turned to the younger man, and he indulgently let his eyes linger on how the jeans he wore clung to him. The whole scene seemed to shift into soft-focus as Kihyun found his throat going dry. All he could think was that, with his eyes smudged just-so with shadow, smile creeping towards the corners of his mouth as he tried to suss out just how they managed to attach the roses to the wall, Wonho might be the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"H-hey, hyung," he said, his voice getting caught in his throat a little as the words fell from his lips. 

"Kihyunnie!" Wonho cried as he turned to properly face him and wrapped him in a hug. The embrace may have been brief, but it was warm and soft and the idol smelled just as good as Kihyun thought he would. Wonho's arms felt just as huge and solid and Kihyun felt just as small and protected and thoroughly head over heels in love as he thought he could feel. When they parted, Wonho's face quickly flushed bright red.

"Sorry! Sorry, it's just- it’s been a while, and I'm kind of a huggy sort of person..." Wonho stammered out. 

"N-no! I like hugs! You're good at them! Hugs are great!" Kihyun rambled, his face burning just as brightly as the older man's. 

"You guys okay over there?" came a sassy Minhyuk, who had wandered in with a portable makeup kit in case touch-ups were needed. He perched himself on the gilt throne that stood in the middle of a small but ornate royal-themed set, a smug little smile on his face.

Kihyun scowled in his general direction and hastily picked up his camera to diffuse the tension. 

"Are you ready?" he asked, and Wonho nodded eagerly, the tips of his ears still stained pink from earlier. He briefly surveyed the floral backdrop before arranging himself in front of it, sinking back against the flowers. 

"I've never posed with something like this before. Is this alright?" he asked, looking a little nervous as he turned his head to look as though he was delicately smelling the flowers. 

It took every ounce of Kihyun's self-control to stop himself from saying that the idol looked like a fairy prince, but somehow he managed to choke out, "That's great, hyung." He raised his camera in an attempt to cover his rapidly blushing face, adjusting the focus and starting to shoot photos. As he did, he could feel Minhyuk's mirthful smile turn in his direction and tried his best to ignore it.

Thankfully Wonho was used to modeling, easily slipping from pose to pose with a well-practiced grace. Though it wasn't the main focus of his career, he often found himself at photoshoots, and Kihyun found himself easily relaxing into minor directions and happily snapping away.

"I could do some sitting poses if that works for you?" Wonho asked, and Kihyun could only enthusiastically nod in response. The idol plopped himself on the floor before settling into relaxed poses, making the sweater hang just-right on him. The petals that surrounded him in shades of deep pink made his pale skin stand out, especially the swath of his shoulder that so beautifully highlighted his collarbone.

"Kihyunnie?" the singer asked, blinking up at him, and the younger man realized that he'd just been staring, his camera dormant in his hands.

"Oh! Sorry! I was just uh… thinking," he said, feeling like he could just melt right into the floor and maybe that would be for the best.

"You're fine!" Wonho chirped, but Kihyun could see a tinge of pink on his cheeks. "We can try something different if you want? There's all sorts of stuff in the dressing room." 

Kiyun's stomach swooped a little, feeling disappointed that he missed the chance to get some good angles on the older man, but any excuse to alleviate some of his embarrassment sounded like a good one. 

"Sure, hyung, pick something… darker. We'll get some good contrast," Kihyun said, the words slipping out of his mouth faster and more easily than he really expected. A look of surprise on the idol's face quickly turned to a rueful grin, and he nodded before wandering off towards the dressing room.

As Wonho trotted off to get changed, he heaved a heavy sigh and returned to his pile of equipment to swap his lens for something wider focus.

"You've got it so bad, Kihyunnie," Minhyuk's familiar voice quipped, as he came up behind him.

"Ugh, don't even start," Kihyun responded, rolling his eyes. As he turned to look at him, he saw Jooheon full out laying on the floor, camera pointed up at Hyunwoo as he pulled at the hem of his sweater. "Seems like Jooheonnie's faring much better, at least."

"Doin' the lord's work, that man..." Minhyuk responded in a dreamy tone. 

As they watched Jooheon tell Hyunwoo every stupid dad joke in his very large stash to get him to smile more naturally, Changkyun approached them, his phone out.

"You guys want coffee?" he asked, almost disdainfully.

"Why, Changkyunnie! So out of character! You never buy your poor hyungs coffee!" Minhyuk quipped, and the younger man rolled his eyes.

"Listen, there's a beautiful man over there in a face mask who could use some fuckin’ tea, and I am both weak and not much use hanging around here putting my foot in my mouth, so..."

Kihyun grinned and nodded, "I feel that pain, man. Iced Americano, and probably one for Wonho too."

"Giant frozen mocha pleaaaase~" Minhyuk said with a smile, and Changkyun rolled his eyes but begrudgingly typed it in anyway. 

As he sulllenly wandered off to fetch coffee, Kihyun felt his pocket buzz.

_ Wonho: Uh. So. I might be stuck??? This shirt Minhyuk picked for me has so many straps... _ 😳

_ Kihyun: Oh no! _

_ Wonho: Could you maybe come help me?  _ 😬

Oh no.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last regular chapter this week! Next week is a lil timeskip epilogue and I'll be all done ;o;! It feels really good to have this fic almost finished!
> 
> Thanks as always to brat_cat, who is a beta-ing angel and whom I pay in Fire Emblem cosplay embellishments now, I guess!

"Hyung? Are you in here?" Kihyun called hesitantly, knocking lightly on the door to the dressing room as he pushed it open.

"Y-Yeah I just..." Wonho answered, the embarrassment in his voice clearly reflected in the pink that stained his face. He was tangled in some sort of shirt, one sleeve on and the other scrunched up over his shoulder. Several straps fell here and there without much rhyme or reason. A large swath of his pale chest was bare, and it took every ounce of professionalism Kihyun had not to stare.

"Oh god, what on earth did Minhyuk try and make you wear?" Kihyun sighed. He could feel his own face grow hot as he approached the older man.

"I don't know. I just tried to pull it on like normal but… I think some of the straps got caught or something," he admitted sheepishly.

"Oh don't worry about it, hyung, we'll get you sorted out," Kihyun responded, gently trying to pull at straps to see where they connected.

After a moment of tugging, he sighed in defeat.

"Maybe it would be better if we just got you out of this first," he said, his eyes scanning the room and settling on a rolling chair. "Can you sit?"

Once the idol was seated, Kihyun realized what he had said. He was going to have to help Wonho take his shirt off. With his own two hands. He regretted everything.

"Uh… may I?" he asked as politely as he could manage.

"Please," Wonho replied, and Kihyun's heart leapt. With shaking hands, he carefully lifted the shirt, fingertips brushing his soft skin. 

Wonho's hair fluffed out as they pulled it over his head, his blush creeping down his neck as Kihyun exposed his full chest. The sleeves of the top slid slowly over his thick biceps, and the younger man could feel his heart beat faster.

They were  _ so close _ . Close enough that Kihyun could see the shadows of Wonho's long eyelashes. Close enough to hear his little whimper of discomfort as he freed his stuck arm at last. Close enough to...

Kihyun couldn't explain how it happened, really. Something about the intimate proximity or Wonho pulling his arm away and throwing him off balance. Or maybe he had just had enough of staring and longing and wishing.

None of it mattered once he kissed him. Wonho's lips were so soft that he couldn't bring himself to pull away. He'd thought about those lips for months, fantasizing about what they'd feel like against his own, but the reality was so much better.

Almost as soon as he realized what he'd done, he abruptly backed off, his heart pounding in his ears.

"I'm sorry, hyung," he gasped, desperately trying to avoid looking at the older man. "I just- you're so beautiful and kind to me, and I get a little thrill when you send me selfies, and I want to make you ramen every day."

He could hear the idol start to say something, and he held up a hand defiantly to stop him, eyes still fixed on the ground.

"I know that you can't date, and that you're totally out of my league, and you're probably straight and never want to see me again. I'm an idiot and I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing," he rambled, choking on his words as his eyes started to tear up.

"But I don't care. I'm in love with you."

The words echoed in the room for a moment before the younger man had the courage to look up at him. He hardly got a glimpse of Wonho's face before the older man's arms were wrapped around him, pressing Kihyun to his bare chest, the offending shirt lying forgotten on the floor.

"Kihyunnie, never talk that way about yourself again," Wonho said, his voice so close to Kihyun's ear and his warm skin pressed against his face.

"Not so long as you're with me," he added softly, and the younger man could feel the flutter of his own heart beat against the pulse that raced through Wonho's chest.

"W-with you?"

Wonho leaned back, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Kihyun saw his face. Little streaks cut through the flush of his face from tears, and his grin was as bright as the sun. When he leaned in to kiss him, softer, slower, longer than the first time, Kihyun thought he might explode.

"Seriously???" he practically shouted when they pulled away, and Wonho started laughing and ruffled his hair.

"You think I buy tangerines for all the cute photographers?" he asked, and Kihyun blushed. Cute. He thought he was cute. He kissed him and he thought he was cute.

"I don't know, do you?" Kihyun asked and Wonho laughed harder.

"Kihyunnie, I've thought you were hot since the first time I saw you. Every time I brought a group of photographers coffee or sweets, it was really in the hopes of figuring out who you were," he admitted sheepishly, and as though suddenly more aware of himself, unwound his arms from Kihyun's waist and scrambled to find a shirt.

"What!?! You never said anything!" Kihyun griped.

"I-I'm just… kind of shy about that sort of thing," the older man admitted, pulling on a t-shirt. "I don't know how guys will take it, so I try and avoid it. But… you were so open and friendly and lovely. I couldn't help but want to be around you more and more. And now… well… I wanna be together, Kihyun. If you'll have me."

"Get over here and kiss me again," Kihyun demanded.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hi hello welcome to the epilogue! I wanted something sweet to tie it all together, so here we are.
> 
> When I started on this fic I didn't really expect much other than something cute and fluffy to disperse between the mountain of smut I was working on (oh my god there's still so much smut to edit, y'all XD) but I ended up focusing on this little pile of happiness more than I thought I would. It was my first time updating regularly (at least for a while) and I'm so so thankful for the support I received. I hope y'all enjoy the ending!
> 
> And, as always, brat_cat is my endlessly patient and helpful and encouraging beta reader. I seriously had no idea this would last thing long and she's been right there with me, holding my hand and fixing my terrible comma errors. I don't know that I can really repay her properly, other than saying "thank you" for the billionth time ♥

"Are you sure you've got that?" Wonho asked, a broad grin on his face as he watched Kihyun struggle with a big box of kitchen supplies.

"Listen, I may be smaller than you," Kihyun sighed, "But everything is smaller than you! Most buildings! And elephants! And other very large things. I've got this."

With a wink, Hyunwoo scooped the box from Kihyun's arms with one hand and ruffled his hair with the other.

"You shouldn't tease him," he added to Wonho as he breezed past him and into the apartment.

The apartment. Their apartment. Kihyun tried to be huffy, but his heart swooped as he walked in the door.

It had been a little over a year since that first kiss, and Wonho had made such great strides in his career. He was the top selling solo artist with his company, and when the time came to renew his contract, he made some very specific negotiations.

Though their relationship was still very private, it was by their own choice. The company actively supported them, down to revoking dating restrictions in all of their future contracts, and with their blessing, and a bonus, they found a beautiful new place to live together.

"Happy?" Wonho asked, breaking Kihyun's thoughts by wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing him softly on the neck.

"Thrilled," he breathed softly in response, craning his neck to kiss him properly.

"Are you guys just gonna make out while we move everything for you? Because I'm already way too pretty for manual labor in the first place," Minhyuk whined, setting down a trash bag full of very light pillows.

"Coming, coming!" They tramped downstairs to the van, passing Hyungwon and Changkyun speaking quietly on the stairwell. They managed to garner a nod from the later, despite his eyes being firmly trained on Hyungwon. Kihyun had known there was something going on between them for months, even if both firmly refused to admit anything.

Jooheon beamed at Kihyun and passed along some boxes from the car before grabbing one for himself. He still worked regularly with his paparazzi buddy, playing tag team on larger shoots. With his usually boundless energy, Kihyun thought he would be the best person to have on hand to help with moving, and he was all too happy to help.

"The new place looks really nice!" he said with a glance up at the building. It was a cozy little place, just a few floors, with little balconies dotted with plants and pretty curtains. They could have afforded something fancier, more modern, but both of them just wanted somewhere comfortable to call their own.

"Thanks, Jooheon," Kihyun responded, returning his grin. Kihyun’s thoughts lingered fondly on Jooheon as he hefted a box up the stairs. His heart swelled to have all their friends here to help and celebrate with them.

They set boxes down in the kitchen and Wonho gestured for him to stay inside while they finished fetching the boxes.

"Start doing some unpacking, hun, we've got the rest of this," he said with a quick kiss on the temple.

"Yeah, let us big, strong men do the work," Changkyun said, pulling up his sleeves to show off his thin, but admittedly defined muscles.

"So you'll stay behind to help Kihyun-ssi unpack, then?" Hyungwon quipped with his little turtle smile. Changkyun blushed deeply, and managed to swat the model's ass as he walked by, earning him a satisfying yelp.

As Kihyun laid down mats in the cupboards to stack dishes on, he thought about how much he would miss Changkyun and Minhyuk's antics, just as he was sure Wonho would miss Hyunwoo and Hyungwon. They had already set a date for all of them to have dinner together, Jooheon included. Ramen at their place, of course.

Minhyuk traipsed into the kitchen with a pile of bedding. "I assume this goes where the magic happens?" he asked.

"Bedroom's through there," Kihyun pointed and rolled his eyes.

Minhyuk, despite his best efforts, was still single. But as much as he hated to admit it, his work at the daycare was most important to him anyway. It didn't stop him from trying to jump Hyunwoo's bones every time he was within spitting distance, though.

Hyunwoo himself was doing well. He'd left his more secure studio job to start an independent dance crew, and they had just received news last week that they'd been hired for a rookie group's world tour.

Kihyun smiled at him as he strode by purposefully, single-handedly hefting an armchair.

"Where does this go?" Hyungwon came up and asked him politely, cracking open a box to reveal a pile of magazines. Most of them were mementos from shoots Kihyun had done.

"Mm… put it in the living room for now," Kihyun said. He thought Hyungwon probably had a stack like that, too, especially since his modeling career was really taking off. It still kind of unnerved Kihyun to see his smouldering gaze looking out at him from perfume ads on bus stops, but he was happy his friend was succeeding.

Slowly but surely, the boxes were piled in the appropriate rooms, and things were unpacked enough to at least be able to eat pizza in a somewhat civilized fashion.

As they all settled in with food and beer, Kihyun took a second to look around the room. The view from their balcony was visible from where he sat, the sun setting just behind the buildings opposite them in a beautiful display. Their things were piled here and there, Kihyun's random odds and ends mixing in with Wonho's. He was excited to decorate, to set up their life together and get things orderly.

But for now, it was nostalgic and bittersweet to have all his favorite people gathered in one place, tired and sweaty and loud though they might be. He watched Hyungwon and Changkyun exchange furtive, teasing glances across the room, sharing a secret they thought nobody else knew. Minhyuk sidled up to Hyunwoo, who was too busy downing a whole slice of pizza in a few bites to really notice. Jooheon was talking animatedly with Wonho about his latest trip to Paris and the fashion spreads he'd shot there. Everything was right with the world.

"You okay, Kihyunnie?" Wonho asked, taking a giant bite of his pizza.

"Yeah, baby. Just… really happy."

 


End file.
